New Year New City
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: After fighting alongside Rangers from another dimension, the new friends ask the Samurai for some help in Corinth.
1. Chapter 1

**Legal:** I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, places, events etc. Anything not covered by the above rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.

**Rating:** T – may be some mild adult themes.

A couple of days had passed since Christmas, and despite the fun they had all had, it was now time for them to start getting back to normal. It wasn't long until New Year, but they had already had long enough away from a routine training schedule, and knew it was time.

It was slightly sad for them to start packing away the Christmas decorations, Emily especially was a little morose as they pulled out the boxes and started to carefully bundle and box up lights and pack away ornaments. Mike's symbol power made taking the tree out again a relatively simple matter, but the mood in the house was a little more subdued than it had been only days earlier. Even Ji seemed to be slightly sad to see an end to the holiday season, which for the Samurai was sadly even shorter, having lasted a little under two weeks total given the busy time they'd been having.

Stephen finished taping up the last box of decorations and picked it up, heading for the storage shed to put them away for another year while Jayden, Mike and Kevin turned their attention to the tree.

"So...how did we get this in here again?" Kevin asked, looking between the tree and the door. It seemed like the tree was much larger than the doorway, leading to the very real problem of how to get the tree out without having to spend ages cleaning up pine needles.

"It was in a net when it came in." Mike reminded him. "Could we put it back in?"

"How do you suggest we do that?" Kevin asked him.

"Maybe I could...?"

"NO!" Mike and Kevin called out as they saw Jayden pull out his Samuraizer.

"Come on guys, you know my powers would control it." Jayden reminded them. "It's not like I'm going to burn down the house or anything, just the tree."

"I think I might have a better idea." Mike replied. "You guys just get ready with the net."

He pulled out his own Samuraizer, and sent a symbol towards it. The tree started to glow, and all the branches bent upwards towards the ceiling. Mike struggled to hold it.

"Get the net." He told them. "Quickly!"

Kevin and Jayden wrapped the tree, and bound it tightly, before Mike let his symbol power dissipate. He smiled with satisfaction as he saw his handy work.

"Wow Mike, you really are getting good." Kevin commented.

"Well, I'm going to try an ambitious experiment." He told them. "Help me get this to the woods. I'm going to see if I can re-plant it."

"Re-plant it? Jayden asked him.

"Yeah, it still has roots in the pot." Mike reminded them. "If I give them a helping hand to grow out, it should make a full recovery."

"The theory's sound." Jayden commented with a shrug. "Don't let it be said that I object to experimentation, if you're sure you're up to it."

"There's only one way to find out." Mike replied. "Hey Em! We're going to re-plant the tree. Want to come? You could give the soil a little helping hand."

Emily gathered up her jacket and her scarf, but as she, Kevin and Mike were about to leave, a Gap Sensor sounded.

"Sorry big guy." Mike sighed as he put the tree down on the floor. "It looks like you're going on the sidewalk with the other trees after all."

"Trust Master Xandred to wait until after we finish cleaning up to attack." Emily muttered as they headed into the main room where Mentor Ji had already pulled up the screen.

"What do we have Ji?" Jayden asked him.

"We have a couple of strange signatures." Mentor Ji told them. "Neither of them are Nighlock though."

"OK, so something triggered Gap Sensors, but they aren't Nighlock?" Jayden asked. "What does that mean?"

"Well, one of the signatures was a flare up of energy in New Zealand." Stephen told them, getting onto his own computer to help Mentor Ji with the scanning. "The other is...quite a bit closer."

"Since New Zealand is a good 26 hour flight away and we know the signal isn't Nighlock, I guess we concentrate on the other." Jayden replied. "Where is it?"

"It's a couple of miles from here." Stephen told them. "And it's heading this way."

"I guess that makes the decision for us then." Jayden replied. "Come on guys, let's see what's coming."

In a hospital in New Zealand the fire alarm was sounding, and the staff were working to get the patients out of the building. It took a while, especially since some of the patients had conditions which made them move slowly, others, such as comatose patients, simply could not be moved, but in those cases, the rooms had been designed to allow the building to burn around them for hours before they were in danger.

Out in the parking lot, the Chief of Medicine was leading the evacuation. Staff were showing what patients they could out of the doors, and by the looks of it, the last of them was now out of the building. He called over two of the nurses.

"Take a roll call of the staff." He told one of them, handing her a duty roster. "You check the patients. When the fire services arrive, they'll want to know who's still in the building."

"Sir." One of the doctors called out as he ran over. "I just wanted to tell you, there was something odd about the fire."

"You saw what started it?" He asked.

"Not exactly, but I saw where it started." The doctor told him. "I was heading to Jan Doe 18's room."

"What happened?" The Chief of Medicine asked him.

"That's what's weird. I didn't see anything odd through the windows, then...suddenly the room was full of smoke!" He answered. "I checked the door, and it was too hot to even touch. I've never seen anything like it!"

"That girl was comatose, there's no way she could get out." The Chief of Medicine replied, looking to the hospital in horror as the sirens heralded the arrival of the fire trucks.

Back in the states, Jayden and the others were standing ready, waiting for whatever had caused the energy signature to arrive. Ji was standing by Jayden's side, preparing for the first time he would fight alongside his Lord.

"Alright guys, the energy signature's almost right on top of you." Stephen told them over their communicators. "You should be seeing it any moment now."

"Alright guys, everyone get ready." Jayden commanded, taking out his Samuraizer. The ground started to rumble, and they could feel that whatever was coming was big. Eventually, the Paleomax Megazord train rolled into view, stopping a little way from them. Jayden just looked at it a little curiously.

"Uh, didn't these guys just leave like, less than a week ago?" Mike asked him.

"Maybe they missed us." Emily suggested.

"I'd like to think that's all it is." Jayden replied as he put his Samuraizer away and started to walk towards it. The side opened, and a blue, holographic version of Scott appeared in the doorway.

"Hey guys, how was your Christmas?" He asked.

"That's one hell of a Christmas card." Mike stated.

"Pretty good." Jayden answered him. "Um...sorry, but that can't be the only reason you sent a Megazord through to our dimension."

"That's very perceptive of you Jayden. This isn't just a social visit." Scott said with a gentle shake of the head. "We really need your help."

"What would you like us to do?" Jayden asked him.

"As you know, with Professor Cog out of the way, there aren't many of Venjix's forces left. Long range scans picked up a few attack bots wandering pretty aimlessly, and some minor bands of grinders, but nothing that should unite them into a credible threat." Scott informs them. "We're planning to expand beyond the dome."

"Uh, that's great." Jayden answered. "I still don't really know where we come in."

"Well, the thing is expansion's going to be kind of slow." Scott informed them. "We can treat the ground in the wasteland to be cultivatable again, and we can start building outwards, but it'll take generations for the land to really take hold and the water to start to return properly..."

"You want us to help rebuild." Jayden interrupted him.

"We figured if you could help us expand Corinth's useful land to about double its current capacity, then we should have the resources to expand from there much faster." Scott continued. "Dr. K did some calculations that...well, I'll be honest, I have NO idea what she said exactly, but she said that if you could use your symbol power to help us get that land up and running, you'd advance the expansion by about a century."

"So, you want us to help you till the land?" Jayden asked him.

"Mike, Emily and Kevin could re-cultivate that land in days. Without them, it could take years."

"Scott, we can't really afford to come through." Jayden told him. "I mean, Venjix may be gone, but Master Xandred is still very much alive and kicking."

"Not to mention we're sure he's well overdue for a return." Kevin chipped in.

"You can make any preparations you need to." Scott told him. "It would only take a few days tops, I promise. Besides, you were good enough to put us up. It seems only fair we return the favour."

Mentor Ji came around in front of Scott.

"You should go." Mentor Ji told him.

"Mentor?" Jayden asked.

"I will remain here." He assured him. "I am sure that between Serena, Stephen and myself, we will be fine. We can call for assistance if we require it."

"Yeah, the train will have you back in time for any Megazord battles." Scott assured him. "Please, you would really be helping us out."

"You know, it would be cool to get a better look around Corinth." Emily commented. "I mean, last time was kind of a flying visit. We basically only saw the desert and the Garage."

"Yeah, we didn't even get much chance to check out the Garage." Mike added. "We didn't really spend that much time there."

Jayden thought about it for a moment, before pulling out the red and white power disks.

"I guess I am curious to see if Corinth is as amazing as everyone says it is." He replied, turning to the others. "Ji, we'll give you the disks that will allow you to control the Megazord just in case. I doubt we'll need them in Corinth, from what I've seen, Scott has plenty of firepower if it's needed."

He handed over the two power disks. Mike and Kevin each handed over both of their disks, and then Mia and Emily handed over theirs. Mentor just nodded in appreciation as the five Folding Zords flew to his side.

"I will take good care of them." He assured them. "Stay safe, and hurry back."

"We'll be as quick as we can Ji." Jayden assured him. "Alright guys, I guess the next stop is Corinth!"

With that, Mentor stood and watched as the six Rangers all boarded the Paleomax Megazord, and the door slid closed behind them. Taking a few steps back, he watched as the train rolled off and disappeared in a flash of light.

"Mentor, Mentor, what happened?" Stephen asked him. "The energy signature just disappeared. The Rangers' too!"

"It's alright; they just went to visit some friends." He assured him. "I'll be back in a little while, and then I'll explain everything."

In a bookstore in town, Spike was looking around the shelves blankly. He had been home schooled for so long that he had forgotten how troublesome it really was shopping for his school books. Until now, his books had just been sent to him, but since his Uncle Bulk had enrolled him in the local High School at his request, instead he had just been sent a list of books he needed.

He had a basket, containing the couple of books he had managed to find, and his uncle was in another aisle trying to track down a particularly elusive chemistry book. It was then that he felt a tap on the shoulder.

"Hey there!" A red-haired girl greeted him. Spike just smiled as he saw Vicky standing there. It had been almost a week since he had spent the day with her and her friends playing in the snow. "I thought it was you."

"Yeah, it's me." Spike replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm shopping for socks." She replied, nudging him gently. "What do you think silly? I have a couple of books to pick up for next term."

"I have more than a few to pick up." Spike told her, showing her the list. "I forgot how hard it is to shop for books."

"Shopping for books?" She asked him. "I thought you were home schooled."

"I've decided to enrol in school this time around." Spike told her.

"Which school?" She asked, shuffling a little closer nervously.

"Um...yours actually." He admitted. "You and the others seemed so cool..."

"Spike that's great!" She shrieked excitedly, throwing her arms around him. She backed away a little, leaving both of them somewhat stunned by her reaction. "So...um...maybe I can help you find some of these books."

"That would be great." He said in response, following her around the shelves. He had loved the time he spent with her and her friends, and while he knew all too well that not all of the kids he met were going to be as nice as Vicky and her friends, he was really looking forward to hanging around kids his own age again.

Back in New Zealand, the Fire Marshall came out of the hospital, pulling off his helmet as he arrived by the Chief of Medicine.

"Alright folks, the building's safe." He announced. "You can all get back to your rooms."

As the patients and staff started to file into the hospital, he walked with the Chief of Medicine.

"Well, one room is completely gutted, but the fire didn't spread beyond there." He informed him. "In fact, by the time we arrived, it was barely the size of a waste paper basket. I've got to say, in all my years, I've never seen anything like it."

"You mean, a fire erupted which burnt out the interior of one room, didn't spread beyond that room, and then died out without explanation?"

"There is another thing." The Fire Marshall told him as they got to the room formerly inhabited by the mysterious Jane Doe. He gestured to the bed. "There's no sign of human remains."

"But...she was comatose." He answered.

"Not anymore by the looks of it." The Fire Marshall replied. Just then, a female doctor arrived in the room.

"Um...sir?" She began. "Someone broke into my locker."

"This is all I need." He groaned. "What did they take?"

"That's the weird thing, my phone; my money and y I-pod were still there." She told him. "The only thing missing was my clothes."


	2. City Hall Incident

The Paeleomax Megazord burst through a flash of light, rolling onto a set of railway tracks. It came to a stop on a station, and the side opened allowing the Samurai to disembark onto the platform.

Jayden marvelled at what he saw. All around him were men in grey bodysuits and hats, carrying blaster rifles. The RPM Rangers were standing on the platform before them, standing to attention, behind a man in a military dress uniform, adorned with several medals of valour. Beside him was a woman, dressed similarly to the other soldiers, with a ranking insignia stitched into it, and a tall, broad, dark skinned man wearing an expensive suit. He approached them, smiling in a warm manner.

"So you are the Samurai Rangers." He began, extending a hand to them. "I am Mayor Mason Truman. Welcome to Corinth."

"Thank you sir." Jayden replied, shaking his hand. "This is my team. Kevin, Mike, Emily, Mia and Antonio."

"Well, my son has told us all about you." Mayor Truman replied. "During your time here, you will be staying at the Grand Hotel in the luxury suites. You are on a full military expense account, so please enjoy yourselves while you're here."

The Rangers were excited to hear about this. They wouldn't abuse the hospitality of their hosts, but they had basically been given a financial carte blanche to do as they pleased while they were in the city. Jayden just nodded.

"Thank you sir." Jayden replied. "We would like to have a look around and hear what's expected of us."

"Of course." Mayor Truman told him, gesturing forward the man in the dress uniform. "This is Colonel Damien Hicks, the current head of the military, security and law enforcement for all of Corinth. He will ensure you have a safe and comfortable visit."

He then gestured the woman to step forward.

"This is his aide de camp, Corporal Vasquez." He told them. "It there's anything at all you need, please feel free to contact her at any time, day or night."

"Thank you, that would be appreciated." Jayden answered, shaking hands with them both as Scott recalled the Paleomax Megazord, clearing the tracks for the rest of the city's train network. "So, how about that tour?"

"Eager to get started eh?" Hicks asked them, before looking to Scott and the others. "Alright guys, let's show them what they've let themselves in for."

Back in the Samurai Rangers' world, the mysterious Jane Doe wandered through the town, trying to avoid people as much as possible. She was fortunate enough when she was escaping the hospital to find clothes that at least fit her a little, so unless anyone got close enough to see the injuries to her face and neck, they basically ignored her.

She didn't know where she was, and had even less idea what to do. She had been a prisoner in the Netherworld for so long, that the Land of the Living was alarmingly bright and a little confusing.

She stopped by a payphone, and picked up the phonebook attached to it by a short length of chain. She had no money to make a call, but as she closed it over and checked the cover, that answered one question at least. Wellington, she was in New Zealand.

"Shit." She grumbled, her throat hoarse from the lack of fluids. She was a long way, thousands of miles from where she needed to be, and so far she had no idea how she was going to get there.

She wasn't at all sure about the city itself. She had never been here before, and right now, she was injured, groggy, and completely confused. She had regained consciousness a little before her escape from the hospital, and while she knew she needed to go, her injuries still told on her. The torture she had endured for longer than she could remember meant that every muscle ached, burned angrily, and every step felt like she had already been walking for thousands of miles.

She arrived at a beach, and had to shield her eyes from the light. She looked around, seeing people enjoying themselves on the beach. She didn't remember much before she had passed out, but she could remember a beach, and landing on the sand before her body finally gave up and slipped into unconsciousness, only waking up again in an anonymous hospital.

"Hey." A guy greeted her as he approached. He was taller than her, quite a bit taller, and looked to be in good shape. He was carrying a surfboard. "Are you looking for someone?"

She didn't answer. She wasn't looking for anyone; indeed, she didn't really know what she was looking for. All she knew was that she somehow needed to leave New Zealand, and accomplish that without any money, or a passport.

"I'm looking for an airport." She told him. He just laughed.

"You're a long way love." He replied. It was only as he got closer; he noticed the injuries on her face. "Are you alright?"

"I need to find the airport." She reiterated.

"I think you need to find a doctor." He commented, reaching for her. "You..."

Without warning, she reacted far faster than he was able to respond to, grabbing his hand and twisting it aside, before slamming a hand into his face. She swept his feet from under him, before mounting him, striking him on the chin with her elbow, knocking him out cold.

"Hey!" She heard someone else call out. Looking to where the yell came from, she saw some cops running her way. "Hey, stop!"

She didn't reply though, she just ran off, scattering a few people as she made her way back to the city. The cops followed as long as they could, but seeing the way she nimbly leapt onto a dumpster, before hopping up onto a shop roof and running off, they just stopped chasing her and caught their breath.

"You think we should call this in?" One of the cops asked.

"And say what exactly?" He replied. "A little blonde chick beat up a guy and ran off across the rooftops like Spiderman?"

"I guess I see your point." The other replied. "Let's get the guy cleaned up and on his way."

Back in Corinth, the Rangers were being shown around the city. Corinth was a lot larger than any of them could imagine. When they had heard that it was one single city, enclosed by a dome to protect those that were left, they had images of a few dozen square blocks. Even those that had been there before had only really seen it from outside, before being ferried into the Garage. Now though, they truly appreciated what they were seeing. The tour had already lasted more than an hour as they were taken around some of the main sights.

"And this, as some of you will recognise, is the Garage." Scott declared proudly. "Or as we all called it back in the day, home sweet home. Now, only Dr. K and I live here."

"Is she there?" Antonio asked.

"She should be, she doesn't really go outside much." Scott answered honestly. Just then, a message came over the communicator.

"All units, report to City Hall, a 12 48 is taking place."

Hicks hammered on the brakes, almost throwing everyone through the windscreen. He turned back to them.

"Sorry guys, the tour's over." He told them. "Scott..."

"We'll take them from here." Scott replied. The Rangers all got out the vehicle, at which it raced off, the siren blaring. Jayden looked to Scott.

"What...?"

"Corinth Military is responsible for law enforcement." Scott informed him.

"What's a 12 48?" Kevin asked him. "It looked serious."

"It's a violent incident involving firearms." Summer replied.

"Well, maybe we can help." Jayden suggested. "I mean, we have morphers..."

"We wouldn't ask that of you." Scott replied. "You're our guests. Our duty is to make sure you're safe."

"Are you sure?" Mike asked.

"Hicks has done this kind of thing before." Scott assured them. "Anyway, maybe we can call over the families and make a night of it?"

"That sounds like it would be great." Emily told them. "Ziggy was telling us about his little boy. I can't wait to hold him!"

"OK, so pizza night it is then." Scott replied as he showed them all inside.

Meanwhile, in another part of town, Hicks steered his vehicle into the street outside city hall, finding a number of men in dark business suits, carrying military grade blasters running out of city hall. They were laying down covering fire as they headed for a couple of cars waiting for them.

"The security staff are getting slaughtered!" He commented as he skidded to a halt, getting out. "Vasquez, get the hardware!"

Hicks ran for the battle site, drawing his hand blaster. He tagged a mobster, taking out his leg as he ran for them, drawing their fire from the overwhelmed security team. Others turned towards him, and he had no choice but to duck for cover behind a short wall.

"Hicks!" Vasquez called out, throwing him a rifle. He stowed his hand blaster as he caught it, preparing for his return volley. A couple of other men in suits ran out of the building, two of them carrying one that was covered in blood, while a fourth covered their escape. They all started to make their way into a van.

Hicks and Vasquez left cover, firing as the van started to speed away. Hicks got a shot through the back window, that he was sure tagged another of the mobsters, but the van turned a corner and left.

"Stay and secure the area!" Hicks ordered her as Vasquez was about to pursue the vehicle. "Call it in!"

He knew that as a result of her implants, Vasquez had an eidetic memory, but more importantly, one that was admissible as evidence in court. She called in on the radio as the back-up units arrived tragically late.

Hicks found most of the security detail injured or dead in the corridors. He approached one of the men that was still rolling around on the floor.

"Where is he?" Hicks asked him. The man just pointed in the direction of a door. Hicks ran down the corridor and kicked the door open, panning the room with his weapon.

The room was in an incredible state of disrepair. The normally organised office was completely turned over, and papers and books were thrown all around. The walls and book cases had been burned by laser fire, and the heavy oak desk had been overturned. Three corpses, all dressed in the same dark suits as the other assailants lay on the ground, while a fourth was writhing in agony with a grievous wound to his abdomen.

Hicks scanned the area, before feeling his blood run cold as he saw a hand sticking out from the desk, covered in blood. It had dark skin, and was wearing an expensive suit.

"Oh God no!" He called out as he leapt over the desk, but unfortunately he confirmed his worst fear. On the other side of the desk, still clutching a used blaster was Mayor Truman. He had a couple of wounds that Hicks recognised as blaster wounds, and some cuts and bruises besides. He hoped with all his heart as he pressed his fingers to his neck that it was a formality, but he felt everything grow dim and silent as he waited and waited for a pulse that never came. A few soldiers came into the room, but he just looked to them with wide eyes.

"Call a forensics team and a coroner." He told them. "Mayor Truman is dead."

It was then that he noticed the one gangster still writhing on the floor. He strode over to him, grabbing the man in one hand and lifting him off the ground, high enough that his feet were not touching the ground, and rammed him against the wall.

"What the hell happened here?" He demanded. "Who did this?"

"Screw you!" The gangster forced out in his pain. "Do you think you scare me? With you I have rights. My boss, I'm dead."

"Get this scumbag out of here!" Hicks demanded, dumping him on the floor. "Have medical stabilize him. I don't want the bastard to die on us before he talks!"

As he looked back to the body of his former commander, the others started to leave the room. Hicks just shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm sorry sir." He whispered. "I tried."

A little while later, the Rangers were all assembled back at the Garage. They had ordered in a few pizzas, and were just having some time to enjoy just relaxing and exchanging stories of what they had been up to.

Emily and Mia were in the corner with Tenaya, cooing over little Milo. Emily loved kids, and she was enthralled by the little guy, constantly chattering away to him and gesturing to him, trying to get a response.

"He's so beautiful." Mia complimented her. "You two are so lucky."

"Yeah, we really are." Tenaya replied. "I didn't know it would even be possible until...well...it happened."

"Yeah, it is great." Ziggy answered, trying to keep things a little more subdued. He was being cautious about the whole thing with Mia. Although he didn't know everything, he had spoken with Kevin, and knew a little about Evan. He didn't want to rub her face in the fact that he and Tenaya had what she had longed for. "He's as good as gold."

Scott meanwhile was having a beer a little way away with Jayden while the two of them were playing a game of pool. It was not the first time for Jayden, but he was certainly far from accomplished, as was evidenced by how far ahead Scott was. He sank the black ball with a little smile.

"Four games." Scott told him. "Alright, rack them up."

"You know, eventually you could stop humiliating me." Jayden told him.

"Hey, I just find winning a novelty." Scott told him. "If you think I'm bad, don't ask Summer to play. She's some kind of supernatural pool goddess or something."

"You have a great team here." Jayden told him, before looking to Dr. K. "You're really lucky."

"Hey, you would be too if you could just loosen up." Scott replied, taking a swig of beer. "Why don't you just forgive yourself. Antonio clearly has."

Jayden just looked to him, a little bemused. Scott held his hands up.

"I'm observant." He told him.

"But...I...it doesn't bother you?" Jayden asked.

"It doesn't really bother anyone here." Scott told him. "Put it this way. When 99 percent of the human race has already been wiped out and you're fighting against a robotic menace that wants to take out the rest of you? People just kind of seem to stop caring if the person next to them is black or Jewish or gay or...whatever."

"So...no one cares?" Jayden asked him.

"I wouldn't say that, it's just...it isn't important in the grand scheme of things anymore." Scott told him. "My brother Marcus was gay. He had to put up with all that 'don't ask don't tell' bullshit through his whole career. In some ways, I just wish he had lived long enough to see what the world became."

"He was killed?" Jayden asked.

"The flight recorder Antonio found in the wastes...that was from Marcus' plane." Scott informed him.

"That must have been hard to accept." Jayden commented. "You know...hearing what happened."

"In a way it was actually kind of comforting." Scott admitted. "It's now going to be a key exhibit in the Corinth Museum. It taught us a lot about what happened that day. It's also kind of a way that what he did will last forever."

"I guess so." Jayden answered. "I lost my dad in battle years ago. I was six."

"Wow." Scott gasped. "I'm sorry."

"Ji raised me." Jayden informed him. "He's been great, but I guess sometimes, I just really miss him."

"I miss Marcus too." Scott told him.

Just then, the door opened, and Hicks came in with Vasquez. Gemma ran over as she saw him.

"You're here!" She screamed, hopping on the spot as she hugged him. "I was wondering..."

"Sorry Gemma, it's not a social call I'm afraid." He replied, taking his hat off. "Scott, can I speak to you in private please?"

"Hicks, what's going on?" He asked. "Hicks?"

"I'd rather..."

"Just tell me what this is about." Scott replied. Hicks just shook his head sadly.

"There was a violent incident at City Hall." Hicks told him. His eyes betrayed what he was about to say, and Jayden could see Scott knew before Hicks said it. "It's my duty to inform you that your father was killed in the incident."


	3. Tying Loose Ends

Jayden and the other Samurai could only hold back and watch as the RPM team surrounded Scott, who was sitting on the couch, trying to take in what Hicks had just told him. Only an hour earlier, someone had stormed city hall, and gunned down Mayor Truman in broad daylight.

Scott just stared at the floor, unable to comprehend the magnitude of it. His father was dead, murdered. He didn't know why, but given his position, it wasn't hard to imagine that there were people that would have a motive. Even the "Hero of Corinth" had enemies.

"For what it's worth, it looks like he went down fighting." Hicks told him. "We found a couple of corpses in his office that look like they were his handy work."

"That sounds like dad alright." Scott murmured, holding his head in his hands as Summer placed a hand on his arm in a comforting gesture. He looked up to Hicks. "Do we know who did this?"

"We have a wounded man in custody. We're just waiting until he's medically cleared to be interviewed." Hicks informed him. "The men were all wearing suits, but we don't want..."

"The Scorpion Cartel!" Scott roared, getting out of his seat and grabbing his jacket as he headed for the door. Hicks just grabbed him.

"I was going to say we don't want to jump to conclusions!" Hicks told him. "If it was Fresno Bob..."

"You don't need to worry about that, I'll ask him myself!" Scott snapped, cutting him off, rage burning in his eyes. "Then, I'll see that justice is done."

"Look, I get where you're coming from." Flynn said sympathetically as he came into view.

"How can you Flynn?" Scott yelled at the Blue Ranger. "Your dad's at home, safe and sound. Mine's dead!"

"In case you forgot, I lost my mum to violence; I know how much it hurts!" He answered. "She was stabbed on a street corner for the contents of her handbag! Don't think you're the only one that's been hurt!"

"We still don't know if he had anything to do with it." Summer reminded him. "I mean, Bob's a slimy piece of work alright, but this...it just...it doesn't make any sense."

"I worked with him for years." Ziggy reminded him. "I could say a lot about him, but the one thing he isn't is stupid. If he wanted your dad ghosted, he wouldn't have been so obvious about it."

"Whoever did this has just pissed off the entire military." Hicks added. "He was a hero to all of us. Whoever's responsible has brought an unholy shit storm on themselves. It'd be suicide!"

"You're too damn right its suicide." Scott told him. "Because when I find the guy, I'm burying him!"

"Scott, stop!" Dr. K called after him. She ran to him, grabbing him to stop him. "I can't let you do this..."

"You think you can stop me?" He asked.

"I want to stop you doing this to yourself!" She told him. "I could have escaped Alphabet Soup years earlier. I could have inoculated myself and released an airborne weaponised virus into the air supply. I could have put a toxin into the water supply. There were a hundred ways I could have slaughtered all the guards and escaped, but I didn't. I tried to find a way that wouldn't result in that. I can't let you take a life in cold blood. It would destroy you!"

"We'll find the guy." Hicks assured him. "We'll find him, and we'll make sure justice is done. In the meantime, we need you to sign the paperwork to release his remains. Then you can begin funeral arrangements."

Just then, a man wearing a white lab coat walked in. He was wearing glasses, and had cornrows.

"I need to ask for your signature Mr..." His words tailed off as he saw the Samurai Rangers. They too looked at him completely aghast.

"Kevin?" They chorused. The other five looked between the man who had just walked in and their Blue Ranger. With the exception of the hair and the clothes, there was no denying the fact that they were identical.

"How did you know my name?" He asked them. Scott just signed the form and sat down as everyone sat around, completely baffled.

In another area of the city though, a man was sitting in a shady corner of a bar, lazily smoking a cigar as he watched the comings and goings. He was a tall man, with a decent build, and wearing an expensive, white business suit. He clicked his fingers, indicating to the bar that he wanted another drink, at which the waitress started to mix it.

Another man came into the bar, looking around, before finding who he was looking for. He started to make his way over, stopping a little way from the table as he saw the shadowy figure pulling back his jacket, reaching for a shoulder harness. He opened his own coat to show that he was unarmed, and breathed a sigh of relief as he was gestured forward. The man in white took his feet off the table and sat up straight, his face still concealed by the shadows.

"Is it done?" He asked.

"Truman is dead." The other man responded, pulling out a napkin and starting to mop his brow. "Sir, this is risky..."

"You're my lawyer; you're paid a great deal to take risks." The man in white cut him off. "Witnesses?"

"As far as anyone's concerned, it was the Scorpions." He replied. "There is a problem though."

"I don't like the sound of that." The man in white replied.

"One of our guys was taken alive. He's in the hospital." The lawyer told him. "It's only a matter of time before he's fit to be interviewed."

"Then make sure it doesn't happen." The man in white replied. "Put the word out, there's a six figure bonus for anyone that makes sure he doesn't see another sunrise."

Back at the Garage, the Rangers, Hicks, Vasquez and the forensics "Kevin" were all sitting around as Dr. K inspected both him, and his Samurai counterpart. Eventually, one of her computers bleeped, and she checked it.

"Its official, the DNA's a 100 percent match." She told them. "You are officially both the same person."

"What?" The two Kevins chorused, before looking to each other. "How?"

"This is an alternate dimension." Dr. K reminded the Samurai Rangers. "You are not meant to be here, that means that it is possible that versions of you do exist here."

"So...there's another one of all of us?" Antonio asked.

"Not necessarily." Dr. K explained. "You see, a new universe is created any time a random event occurs, creating a set of circumstances that are based off that eventuality."

"So..."

"So, we have no idea what eventualities are the same and what ones are different." She concluded. "Here, you never became Samurai Rangers. You were never called, because Master Xandred was sealed away. That could, in and of itself create thousands, possibly even millions of possibilities."

"Like?" Emily asked.

"Well, for one thing, it's not necessarily set in stone that here you were even born." Dr. K replied. "Your family could have died out in the Venjix raids, or you could be...well...anything!"

"So...is there any danger in us being in the presence of our counterparts?" The Samurai Kevin asked. "I mean, if we touch, is the universe going to implode or anything?"

"You've seen way too many science fiction films." She sighed. "No, you are both just the same organic matter you always were. It's just...you're the same...only from a different place in the multiverse."

"Wow, I can't imagine." The forensics Kevin gasped. "Um...you look like you're in shape."

"I was trying out for the Olympics." The Samurai Kevin told him. "Other than that, I was always doing Samurai training..."

"Samurai?" The forensics Kevin gasped.

"Yeah, you know, swordsmanship, Symbol Power." He rhymed off. The other Kevin just shook his head, looking at him blankly.

"Well, as fascinating as this all is, we should be getting back." Hicks told them. "The witness should be ready to interview by now."

In Central Corinth Hospital, the injured mobster started to stir and come to, finding himself in the hospital. Since he was arrested, he had been bombarded by so many tests and drugs that he didn't have a clue what day of the week it was, let alone what was going on.

He knew that his boss would not be happy that he had been captured alive. It meant that he would be a loose end, but he just smiled as he thought of something. He had been a low level grunt for years. He was nothing, a nobody. As far as the rest of the organisation was concerned, he was just a piece of meat. Now though, he had an opportunity to prove his worth. He could easily bring the organisation down single-handedly. His testimony would easily cause more than a few people to lose everything, but as long as he kept his mouth shut, they would owe him big.

He resigned himself to the fact that it would mean time. Big time. He was part of a violent incident, involving firearms that had resulted in the death of the mayor, but he knew that forensics would prove he hadn't fired a fatal shot. He would serve a few years for possession of an illegal weapon and assault with a deadly weapon, but the fact was that he would be out in less than ten, and then the organisation would owe him. The boss would be grateful, and he would have proven he could be trusted.

Just then, he started to feel a stale taste in his mouth. He then started to grab around his throat as he realised that he couldn't breathe. He started to gasp, but every mouthful of air was completely devoid of oxygen.

He heard some footsteps and looked up, seeing a figure enter the room, and his eyes grew wide in horror. He was a loose end, and his boss had sent his top assassin to make sure it was tied up. He reached for the alarm button, but a hand grabbed his wrist, and stopped him, before pulling the wire out of the alarm, disabling it. He took one last gasp, and slumped down dead.

The assassin pulled out a cell phone and hit speed dial.

"Sir, it's done." The assassin stated, before putting the phone away and walking out the room. It would be hours before the nurses did their next rounds and found him. The deed was done.


	4. Mayor Truman's Funeral

**A/N: **Well, it's not the happiest of chapters, but this is just a short note to wish all my readers a Happy New Year

It was a new year, but instead of ringing it in with hope and cheer, the Rangers were greeting it with sadness.

The city itself had toasted the turning of the New Year, but by now, the news had broken of the murder of Mayor Mason Truman, the Hero of Corinth. Scott didn't really resent the celebrations, but they had been a lot more subdued this year, since they were timed around the same time as the death of the man that had led the world to victory over Venjix, leading it to a new dawn as they prepared to rebuild the world from scratch.

Scott came into the main room, finding the Samurai and RPM Rangers already dressed for the funeral. It was taken as being for the best that as soon as the forensic tests were complete, they would simply get the funeral over with, to prevent the city dwelling too long on the tragic and senseless crime. The military had paid for everything, so even the Samurai had been outfitted with formal attire for the event.

Jayden and Dr. K got up, heading over to Scott as he straightened out his jacket in preparation for the event. He was wearing his air force dress uniform for the occasion. Although it had been some time since he had actively served in Eagle Squadron, it just felt right on this day.

"It gets easier." Jayden assured him. He had been only six when he attended his own father's funeral. He didn't really understand the occasion at the time, it seemed like a bizarre thing to behold, but even though he was a child, he could remember every detail of it.

"Thank you." Scott whispered. He then looked to the others. "It's time."

With that, they all slowly filed out of the Garage, heading to the park.

In another part of the city, a limousine was arriving by the memorial park. Rolling to a stop, the door opened and Benny got out, followed closely by his employer, the most feared man in Corinth.

He wasn't much in and of himself. He was old, overweight, and he very obviously wore a wig, but anyone who hadn't been living under a rock knew exactly who Robert Taylor was. He was Fresno Bob, the figurehead of the Scorpion Cartel.

When people fled to Corinth, they had brought their vices with them. While freelance criminals did exist, it was mostly small stuff like burglary and vandalism. The major crimes, prostitution, drug traffic and manufacture, protection and the like were run by the cartels. It was a profitable business. With only one city, and very few criminals to compete against, the cartels had quickly established a tight grip on things. Unfortunately, it also meant that for a long time there was competition for control, competition that quickly got very, very messy.

It was the heads of the cartels who got together and brokered a deal to prevent them tearing each other apart. The Southtown Sweet Tooths, the Yo Yo Brothers, the Blue Crew, Spike Mike's Mob, and the Scorpion Cartel had carved the city into little fiefdoms that were large enough for them to be profitable, but also no larger than each of them had the manpower to protect. If someone popped a squat in another's territory, he was sent back in a body bag, that much was understood. So far, the system had worked out for the best. All of the cartels were profitable, inter-gang violence was minimal, and because the streets weren't running red with blood, the military had either been bought, threatened or otherwise blinded to their operations.

Bob was not a happy man. He liked it when things ran smoothly. He didn't like complications, everything worked in a balance. Truman understood that. While he wanted to take down the cartels, he also knew that there was little he could do to break their influence completely. His streets were not a warzone, so with the exception of the odd token arrest when someone got careless, he accepted the power of the cartels as a necessary evil. Corinth was only designed to sustain a population of around three million, but on the day the shields went up, there were already eight million citizens. To say that the stretching of resources led to frustration and ill feeling would be an understatement.

He stopped at the gate for a cursory search from a soldier on duty. Truman's funeral was to be held in the park within the hour. He was going to be laid to rest at the foot of the memorial to the First Battle of Corinth, as was appropriate for the man who had sealed the victory in that occasion. He wasn't carrying any weapons, and he knew none of the others would be either, that was why he had chosen here to meet with them. If one of the cartel bosses had broken the treaty, then they were in no hurry to risk that they would betray a meeting to discuss the matter of the murder that could easily lead to the end of the peace that had existed between them for years.

He made his way into the park, finding a small group of men waiting for him.

Maximillion "Maxie" Carlyle, the head of the Southtown Sweet Tooths was standing in a tan suit, holding a brown paper bag full of confectionery, his hand straying into it to fetch out a sugary treat. It was the very mannerism that had led to the name of his organisation. While others would occasionally joke about this, and insinuate that they were infantile, few would dare to cross them on their own territory. He was a rotund man, even larger than Bob, with a slightly red, bloated, jowly face, and small, rectangular glasses. He had a couple of heavies with him for support, two men that despite the bags of sweets they were carrying, looked like they were more than ready for action.

Ronan, the head of the Blue Crew, was standing to his right, wearing a very sharp, white tuxedo. He was a dark skinned man, with a good, stocky, healthy build, and his hair styled into cornrows. His eyes were shielded by mirrored, rayband sunglasses. He too had a couple of enforcers with him, lest the occasion called for action.

Spike Mike was next to him, and seemed as uneasy in Ronan's presence as he did in his. The Blue Crew and Spike Mike's mob had been at war for years before the Venjix war had destroyed everything, and both had long memories. He was wearing a red silk shirt, and suit pants. His hair was styled into long, unkempt dreadlocks that hung like tentacles around his chiselled face. He was a tall, lanky man, towering above the others at nearly 6' 8", and very pale skinned. He had two enforcers with him, dressed in stylish shirts.

The last two, and the only ones not to arrive with any form of back-up, were the Yo Yo Brothers, Eddie and Clyde. The least prominent of all the cartels, the Yo Yo Brothers made their reputation through aptitude and taste for violence. At one time, they had been cage fighters, highly successful in the MMA circuit before the Venjix War. They had turned that talent to good use, assembling a small, though talented band of like-minded thugs who had a reputation for lack of subtlety, and heavy-handed extortion. They had too much talent to simply be ignored, and so despite their small numbers, were considered equal to the others, and held their own territory. Eddie was the taller of the two by a couple of inches, and had short, blonde hair. His brother was red-headed and freckled, with a slightly misshapen nose, the result of one of his early brawls. Both of them were well-built, and also dressed formally as the occasion demanded.

Benny stood behind Bob, his arms folded before him. Bob looked around the others.

"You've landed us all in a fine pile of shit now Bob." Maxie commented. "You ghosted Truman?"

"That was nothing to do with me." Bob answered flatly as he took a drag of his cigar. "Although you are awfully quick to make accusations, if I didn't know any better..."

"Do you think I'm brain dead?" He sneered. "My business was running nicely while he was around. Since that little stunt you pulled, the military have been breathing down my neck! My guys have been strong-armed all day because of you!"

"I said, I didn't do it!" Bob reiterated a little more aggressively, taking a step forward. All the men looked a little nervous, and the muscle all looked to be preparing for the powder keg to be lit. "I have lost thousands already because of this! The military wants my ass on a plate!"

"We only have your word for it Bob." Ronan stated, removing his glasses. "The way I see it..."

"I don't give a damn how you see it Ronan!" Bob warned him coldly. "It wasn't anyone in my organisation. If it was, they'd already be buried in the wasteland. Truman's death is bad for business. I want to know who did it, and I want to know now!"

"You needn't look over here." Eddie assured him. "My guys may like a ruck, but this is way more heat than any of them would want to face. They all know that."

"If it was anyone from my firm, I'd know about it." Ronan told them. "They'd have to hope the military found them before I did."

"You're awfully quiet Mike." Maxie commented. "Anyone would think you're up to something."

"Don't you all see? This doesn't make any sense." He told them. "We all know we had it pretty good. Our businesses were running fine until this happened. Now Truman's gone, Corinth Military's out for blood! None of us would have been dumb enough to put a hit out on Truman."

"So who do you think did it then? The Tooth Fairy?" Ronan scoffed in response. Ronan just glared at him.

"There have been rumours of a new player in town for a while." He stated. "Even you don't have your head far enough up your own arse not to have heard that!"

"Watch what you say Mike!" Ronan hissed as his men came forward. Benny just interjected himself between both sides. Even with his girth, everyone backed away slowly. He was a monster of a man, and while he had put on a considerable amount of weight in his old age, he was an underworld legend. Bob only needed Benny as back up for a reason, everyone knew what he was capable of.

"We're being watched, remember?" Bob reminded them, his eyes flicking in the direction of patrolling soldiers. "After what happened, they'd love an excuse to take all of us out right now! So stop the pissing contest before you get us all killed!"

"So what do you propose?" Maxie asked him. "This is getting us nowhere."

"I suggest that we find who did this and deal with it." Bob told them. "The military need to get this guy, and I for one would rather it happened before we're all joining Truman in the ground."

The others all turned and headed off in different directions, leaving Bob and Benny behind. Fresno Bob finished his cigar, dropping it on the ground and crushing it out with his expensive designer shoe.

"We're against the wall now Benny." He told him. "We're the most powerful cartel, but you know as well as I do if the others unite..."

"I think you're more likely to see me winning a Nobel Prize than Ronan and Spike Mike burying the hatchet." Benny interrupted him. Bob just nodded.

"You have a point." He replied. "Come on."

"Where are you going?" Benny asked him, noticing that they were heading away from the limo. Bob just looked back to him.

"We have a funeral to attend." He answered. "A good man is dead. I want to pay my respects."

Elsewhere in the park, the ceremony was already underway. Dr. K held Scott's hand as he stood by the coffin, which was covered by Old Glory. The minister was just coming to the end of his speech.

"And so, we wish you safe passage on your journey." He stated. "Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

A soldier took the flag off the coffin and carefully folded it as the coffin was slowly lowered into the grave. Nearby, some soldiers in dress uniform fired off the first volley of a 21 gun salute as the horn played, bidding Mason Truman farewell. Scott stood resolutely, unable to act as he just watched him being lowered into the earth.

Summer moved first, taking a handful of soil from the minister, and tossing it into the grave. Flynn did likewise, at which Scott just nodded in acknowledgement, before doing the same. Jayden placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you." Scott whispered to the minister.

"He was a good man." The minister replied. "The city will miss him."

Just then, Flynn tapped Summer on the arm and pointed. She, Dillon and Ziggy all looked up as they saw Fresno Bob approaching the grave, carrying some lilies.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding." Dillon gasped.

"Who's that?" Mike asked.

"It's Fresno Bob." Ziggy told them. "One of the most dangerous gangsters in Corinth."

"Wait, wasn't he the one...?" Ziggy just nodded to confirm the question that Emily couldn't bring herself to ask. Scott was talking to Dr. K, but he turned and saw Bob kneeling by the grave, placing down the lilies.

"Scott..."

Dr. K wasn't fast enough to stop him though. Scott pulled away from her, striding over to the old gangster purposefully. Fresno Bob stood up as he saw him.

"Scott..."

His words were cut off as Scott punched him as hard as he could in the face, sending him falling to the ground. Benny shoved him back.

"It's not enough you killed him, you have to come here and gloat?" Scott snarled.

Benny helped Bob up, at which he pulled out a handkerchief and started to mop blood from his broken nose. He gestured to Benny that he was alright.

"Your old man was a good man. I respected him." Fresno Bob told him. "I know you're upset, and because of that, I'll let this slide."

"You really don't want to threaten me!" Scott replied, trying to go for him again, only to be held back by Dillon and Flynn. Fresno Bob just looked him in the eye.

"I had nothing to do with this, but you can rest assured, I am looking for whoever did this." The Crime Boss told him. "If I find him first, he will suffer before the end. I can promise you that."

"Get out of here Bob." Dillon warned him.

"I don't want to cause trouble." He replied looking back to the grave and bowing his head reverently. "I just came to pay my respects."

"Bull!" Scott snapped. Fresno Bob just looked at him.

"Believe what you will." He replied. "Truman may have been a lot of things, but he was a man I respected. He didn't deserve this, and I guarantee you this won't stand."

As they started to walk away, Ziggy ran over, grabbing Benny's sleeve. The massive man turned, seeing the Green Ranger. He had taken Ziggy under his wing when he first joined the Scorpion Cartel, showing him the ropes. He liked the little guy.

"Benny, you've never lied to me." Ziggy told him. "Please, tell me he had nothing to do with this."

Benny just shook his head. He could never lie to Ziggy; they had been friends far too long.

"No, he didn't." Benny assured him. "God help whoever was if Bob finds him."

With that, he and Benny walked away. Summer came round in front of Scott as the others all surrounded him.

"Scott..."

"Why did you stop me?" He interrupted her. "That son of a bitch..."

"Scott, he's a lot of things, but he's not a liar!" Ziggy told him. "I worked with the guy for years. He can't lie to me, I'd see right through it."

"Ziggy..."

"If Benny says that Bob didn't order this, then you can take that as gospel." Ziggy told him.

"Just leave it to us." Hicks told him. "Scott, let the military handle it."

Scott just turned and stormed away, followed closely by Dr. K. Summer looked to Hicks sadly.

"We'll take care of him." She assured him. "Just...find him."

At that, the others all left the side of the grave, leaving Hicks and Vasquez behind.

Meanwhile, in another part of town, an attractive Asian woman walked into a bar; looking around, before seeing the man in white sitting in a shady corner, shadow hiding his face. She made her way over, taking a seat by him.

"Nice work at the hospital Mia." He told her, sliding an envelope across the table. "I trust this will satisfy you as a reward for services rendered."

This dimension's Mia had been working for him as an assassin for a while now; he always paid well for services rendered. Her power over air made her well suited to the task. Just like at the hospital, she could cause a person to suffocate without any need for a garrotte or anything else that leave forensic evidence. Indeed, she hadn't even needed to touch the victim. She looked to the money in the envelope and smiled. She didn't bother to count it, she didn't need to. Her boss always paid more than he agreed anyway, kind of his way of ensuring she was happy to keep working for him.

"The military's been very active as of late." He told her. "As I expected, they've been raiding cartel properties all day. I am perfectly confident that things will escalate soon."

"So that's the plan." She replied with a little smirk. "You want to start a war..."

"And when the dust settles, I'll swoop in and pick up what's left of the city." He concluded. "To that end, I have another job for you."

With that, he slid a photograph across the table. She picked it up, and let out a little whistle as she saw who it was.

"It's not going to be easy." She told him, looking up. "It'll be expensive."

"I can afford it." The man in white assured her. "Just call me when you're done."

"Keep your phone close." She told him, getting up from the table and leaving. The man in white lit up another cigar and sat back with a smile on his face. Everything was working out exactly as he wanted.


	5. The Upheaval

Scott was already halfway through a bottle of whisky by the time Flynn found him at the auto shop he ran alongside his father. The senior McAllister man saw his son enter and just pointed to where Scott was sitting.

"I kept an eye on him." He assured him. "He was looking for trouble, I figured under the circumstances..."

"You probably did the best thing." Flynn interrupted him. "Thanks dad."

He went over to where Scott was sitting, arriving just as he downed another shot. He got himself a glass and grabbed the bottle.

"This is 25 year old single malt and you're tossing it back like cheap bourbon." Flynn chastised him. "You do realise that bottle is probably worth more than this business."

"Your dad said it would be alright." Scott commented.

"I can understand how you're feeling." He responded, casting a little look his dad's way. "I'm sure if something had happened to dad, I'd be in bits."

"You have no idea how I'm feeling Flynn, there's no way you could." Scott told him bluntly.

"Hicks gave you his word." Flynn reminded him. "He's good Scott, you know he is. If he says he'll find the guy..."

"He will find him." Scott interrupted him. "When he does, I'll make sure justice is done."

"You're not talking about Justice Scott, you're talking about vengeance." Flynn stated.

"I don't give a damn about the difference." Scott told him. "My dad's dead, and I swear, whoever's responsible is going to join him."

"You can't do that Scott!" Flynn warned him.

"You forget, I'm not a Ranger anymore." Scott told him as he got up and stormed out of the auto shop. Mr. McAllister came to his son's side.

"He's not coping is he?" He asked. Flynn just shook his head.

"I just hope that someone finds this bastard before Scott does something he can't come back from." He told his father.

In another area of town, in the Yo Yo Brother's headquarters, a boxing gym by the main reservoir, Eddie was in a cage, running through some training drills with a young prospect.

He was a big kid, a high school dropout with ambitions of being a player in the city. He had been brought to the club by one of the others after running a few low-level jobs on a freelance basis. Now, Eddie was just checking him out to see if he was ready for something more.

He smashed the kid against the side of the cage, before hammering him in the ribs with his knees. The kid slumped to his knees, at which he caught the kid with a roundhouse kick to the face, sending him to the floor. The kid just rolled around in pain as Eddie grabbed a towel.

"You've got a set kid." He complimented him. "You aren't afraid to take a hit. I could use a guy like you."

He gestured to one of his guys to help the kid up, at which he took him away to get cleaned up. Another guy came over, carrying a ledger.

"The protection payments are early this month." The guy told him. "The Truman thing got people scared."

"Well, never let it be said I object to getting paid early." He replied. "The heat's a little more than I'd like, but seriously, it's got the guys juiced. We're all ready for..."

Just then, a heavy black bag dropped from the ceiling. He looked up, seeing an open skylight, and a shadow moving away quickly.

"Find the son of a bitch!" He yelled. A couple of his hoods ran off to search for the assailant. He approached the bag, grabbing it and pulled it back. One of his boys approached as he saw the look on Eddies face.

"Boss...?"

"It's Clyde." He told him, reaching inside and pulling out a business card. His own brother, one of the most feared gangsters in Corinth had been killed. His anger flared as he looked at the business card. It was for the local race track.

"The Scorpions." He hissed angrily.

"Boss, do you really think...?"

"Maybe not, but I want to be sure." Eddie told him. "Put the word out. Any Scorpions on our patch, I want them here, and I want them to talk. If that fat so of a bitch killed Clyde, I'll ghost him myself!"

In another area of town, Maxie Carlyle, the leader of the Southtown Sweet Tooths came into a factory, finding Hicks and some of the military tearing the place up. His boys were just standing back and letting it happen.

"I trust you have a warrant Colonel Hicks." He asked arrogantly. It was, on the surface, a sweet factory, but appearances were deceptive. Everyone knew that this was the hub of Carlyle's drug manufacturing operation, but the military could do nothing about it without probable cause. Vasquez came across, handing Carlyle a document.

"You'll find everything is in order." She told him. "We're looking for evidence."

"You'll find nothing." Carlyle assured her. "I trust you will pay for any damages caused in this pointless search?"

"You can file a claim." Hicks told him as he pushed over a machine, smashing it into oblivion. "It'll be paid eventually."

"You arrogant, self-righteous..."

"Leave them to their search Jerry." Carlyle warned his enforcer. "We both know they'll find..."

"Sir, I think you'll want to take a look at this." One of the soldiers called out. Carlyle looked as confused as Hicks did hearing this. This storage room should have been empty, but when they got there, it was full of crates of military grade ordinance.

"It looks like you're stocking up for quite a party." Hicks said dryly.

"You planted that!" Carlyle sneered. "It'll never stick."

"You let us worry about that." Hicks told him. "Vasquez, read him his rights."

"It looks like you're calling that high price lawyer of yours." Vasquez commented as she pulled out a set of cuffs. "You have the right to remain silent..."

Ronan's car pulled up outside a building, and he got out, leaving his security detail inside. He turned to the building, checking his watch. As the bell rang, he smiled.

"Daddy!" A little girl called out as the kids started to run out of the school, having been released for the day. Ronan smiled as he saw little Kesha, his daughter, running towards him. He scooped her up in his arms, laughing as he did so.

"Are we going?" She asked him. He just looked to her feigning confusion.

"Going?" He asked. "Going where?"

"Daddy, you promised!" She whined. "You said if I got an A on my spelling..."

He just laughed.

"You fall for it every time." He chuckled. "So, are you ready to go to JKP?"

Just then, he heard something that caught his attention. A car was gunning its engine, screeching into the street.

"Daddy..."

As it skidded to a halt, some hoods fired from the windows. He managed to run into cover behind his car as children and parents all screamed in panic. Blaster shots sent concrete flying in all directions as he shoved his daughter through the window into the car. It was armoured, and he knew that was the safest place for her. His crew got out, one of them falling to blaster fire as the others joined him. One of his lieutenants handed him a blaster rifle.

They opened fire, at which the car sped away. He ran into the street, continuing to unload his blaster until the power pack overheated and stopped working.

"That cowardly piece of shit!" He screamed as one of his men joined him.

"Sir..."

"You saw the gunmen; you saw what they were wearing!" He called out. "That was the Scorpions!"

"But boss..."

"He came to her school!" Ronan snapped as he ran to the car. He opened the door, pulling Kesha out and hugging her tightly as she cried. "It's alright honey, daddy's here."

"Sir, do you really think...?"

"Call the others. Ronan ordered them. "He came after my kid! By the end of the night, I want that bastard's balls on my mantelpiece!"

At that point in time, his cell phone rang. He could hardly believe his eyes as he saw the caller ID. It was Spike Mike.

"What the hell do you want?" He asked.

"Bob just came after my kids!" Spike Mike informed him.

"You too?" Ronan asked him.

"Carlyle just got bailed a couple of hours ago, and Clyde's dead!" Spike Mike continued. Although they had been rivals, he understood what this was. "We're meeting at the foundry in an hour to discuss how we proceed."

"I'll be there." Ronan assured him. "We'll bury them together!"

Over at the race track, Fresno Bob was in his office, watching the news reports. He knew exactly what was coming.

He didn't know who was doing this, but he understood the tactics. Within one day, Clyde, one of the most prominent gangsters in Corinth had been murdered, the families of two of the cartels had been fired upon in broad daylight, and while he had been bailed, Carlyle had been imprisoned. The only cartel that had demonstrably not been targeted was his own. Someone was setting him up.

Benny came into his office, carrying a blaster.

"Bob..."

"If you even think the word hide, I'll slap you senseless." Bob warned him.

"I don't think you get it Bob, the others are going ape shit!" Benny stated. "It's only a matter of time before...!"

"I know what's coming Benny!" Bob assured him. "Someone's screwing with us, and I want to know who!"

Outside the dome, Jayden and Mia arrived at the expansion zone. Despite the funeral, Emily, Kevin and Mike had all been put to work, helping the expansion project. Kevin was using his power to force a torrential rainfall to fill the newest reservoir they had built, while Emily and Mike were working on the land and the crops.

Mike fell to his knees, clutching his head as he finished another field. He had germinated and started the process of getting some crops to grow. A few green shoots were pushing their way through the ground, accomplishing what would have taken weeks in a matter of hours, but it was a tremendous drain on him. Emily looked just as exhausted.

"Alright guys, I think that's enough for today." Jayden told them. "You don't want to stretch yourselves too thin."

"That's a pretty nice rainstorm." Mia complimented her fiancé as she wrapped her arms around Kevin.

"Yeah, but I'm completely wiped." He told her. "I swear, Mentor Ji would never give us a workout like this!"

Just then, Summer and Dillon arrived with some soldiers.

"Alright folks, that's it for today!" Summer called out. "Just get to the transports and do as you're told!"

"What's happening?" Jayden asked them. Summer looked to him with a concerned expression.

"The whole city's about to go up." She told him. "All of the cartels have been hit hard except for one."

"The Scorpions." Dillon told them. "To say the others aren't happy would be an understatement."

"So Bob did it?" Kevin asked.

"It looks that way." Summer told him. "Why...I really don't know. All I know is that the military's calling for a complete city-wide curfew. Anyone outside after dark..."

"This isn't good." Jayden replied. "Alright guys, let's help in any way we can."

As they left, one of the agricultural workers looked after them curiously.

"Say, did they look familiar to you?" He asked his wife.

"They've been working here all day Mike." Corinth's Emily reminded her husband as they boarded a transport vehicle. "You probably just saw them at lunch."

Corinth's Mia arrived back at the bar, finding the Man in White waiting with some of his men. They were all preparing blasters, ready for when the chaos ended.

"It's done." She told him.

"I saw the news, that's good work." He replied.

"So...what now?" She asked.

"We let things unfold." He replied. He had a long, white and red nodachi strapped to his back. He drew the cursed blade and smiled. "Once the cartels and the military are done with each other, Urumasa's thirst will be quenched."

"So, since it's all going down tonight, do I get to finally have a name?" She asked him. He stepped out of the shadows, flashing her a sick smile as he swept some blonde hair out his face.

"The other Samurai called me the Cursed Warrior." He told her. "You can call me Jayden."


	6. Corinth in Flames

Hicks was standing by the window of the Command Centre, looking out over Corinth. He didn't sign up for this, he could already feel something stirring in the air, and knew that this night would be the most trying of his career. He had always known that positions of command came with a heavy price, and this was one of them. As much as it galled him, he had imposed a city-wide curfew, with all the military on patrol under strict instructions to arrest anyone out after lights out. It turned the dome into a prison.

"The patrols are covering the city." Vasquez told him wearily as she arrived, handing him a report. Much like Hicks, she didn't really like the idea of strong-arming the innocent citizens of Corinth, but with the events of the day, she knew as well as Hicks did that the city was poised on a powder keg, one that just needed a spark. "Everyone's on lockdown. No one's going to be outside other than our patrols."

"I think we both know that's optimistic Vasquez." He sighed, shaking his head. "So what's this?"

"It's from forensics." She told him as he opened the report. "It's some documents that were found in Mayor Truman's office."

"He was the mayor; there were a lot of documents in his office." Hicks replied.

"Not many like this though." She commented, pointing to the signature at the bottom of the page. Hicks screwed up his face and looked to her in confusion.

"Are you serious?" He asked. She just nodded her head. "I guess it looks like we need to do more digging."

"Let's just hope it isn't graves." Vasquez replied.

Meanwhile, over at an outpost, some Corinth Military personnel were standing by their station, more nervous and alert than normal. Generally the shift at venting station 85 were pretty quiet. It was only a venting station. The power generating the shields created a lot of gas, and the most efficient way of dispensing with it was burning. It served the dual purpose of dispensing with the gas, and also cutting off one of the ways into and out of Corinth. So far, only the Rangers had ever managed to use it as a way into and out of the city.

As they paced, the duty sergeant suddenly noticed an uncharacteristic flicker in the flames.

The other two soldiers looked as they noticed what he had, that the flames were behaving in a way they shouldn't. They started to arc, and before they knew what was happening, they formed a perfect archway, leaving the gateway open. A figure stepped through, entering the city.

"Hold it right there!" The Duty Sergeant yelled, levelling his blaster at the stranger.

"I don't think so." The stranger replied. He fired a warning shot into the air, but the stranger ignored him, starting to walk away into the city.

"Open fire!" The Sergeant called out, firing at the stranger. Faster than they could see though, the stranger pulled out a sword, deflecting their blasts.

"If you're quite finished." The stranger commented dryly. "I have somewhere to be."

The stranger stopped as the Duty Sergeant threw his rifle to the ground and pulled a knife. The sound of it being pulled from the sheath betrayed him. The stranger turned and glared at him through the visor of a helmet which reflected the limited light.

"Seriously?" The stranger questioned him sarcastically. The Sergeant took the hint and dropped the knife, at which the stranger left. He got on the radio to Headquarters.

"Sir, this is patrol on gate 85." The sergeant shouted down the radar. "Someone came into the city."

"What?" Hicks asked him. "How?"

"Um...your guess is as good as mine on that part." The Sergeant told him.

"Send over the video feed." Hicks instructed him. "The last thing I need is more loose cannons running around this town!"

All of the Rangers, Samurai and RPM alike were sitting in the Garage, listening to the sounds outside. With the exception of the official dispatch on Dr. K's computer, they had pretty much given up on any form of radio or television. They were all showing reports of the violence on the streets.

Despite the curfew, the Cartels were out in force. All of them had something to avenge, and so far, it looked like the one responsible for everything was Fresno Bob. It worried all of them that Scott had not been seen since he had left the McAllister garage.

Gem was holding Dr. K as she listened to the dispatch, waiting for any signs of a report on her Ranger Red. The suit had disappeared from the cabinet some time ago, so she knew that he had activated his powers wherever he was. All she could hope was that she didn't hear that he had taken his own vengeance.

"Hey, look at this." Emily commented, trying to bring everyone's attention to more pleasant topics. "I just ran my fingerprints through Dr. K's computer. Apparently I live here in Corinth!"

"Really?" Mia asked as she came over.

"Well, we already met another me." Kevin reminded them. "I guess we knew it was possible more of us made it."

"So, what are you doing?" Mike asked her. Emily just giggled.

"What else? I'm a farmer!" She told him, pointing to a Corinth citizen identity record. "It says I'm in the agricultural corp. I'm working on the reclamation project!"

"I guess that makes sense." Mike answered. "I mean, with your talents..."

She turned away from the screen, turning as pink as Mia's uniform as she saw something on the screen. Mike just looked to her.

"Emily, what is it?" He asked her.

"I think I know." Mia chuckled. "Check this out."

"Marital status...married?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, check out the name of the groom." Mia told him. Mike did so, and almost fell backwards.

"Me?" He asked, looking around to her. "We're married here?"

"I guess even across dimensions you two are meant for each other." Antonio replied. "Wait...there aren't that many fish left, let's see what I'm doing!"

He placed a finger in the scanner, checking his record.

"I'm..."

"Oh, that is too good!" Kevin sniggered as he reached for the computer. "We so have to make a printout."

"What?" Mike asked him.

"I'm a stripper!" Antonio protested.

"Really?" Emily giggled as she tried to imagine it. "You're..."

"I can't believe I'm a damn stripper!" Antonio said bad temperedly as he sat down, crossing his arms defiantly.

"Well, you do kind of have the body for it." Mike conceded. "OK, that sounded way straighter in my head!"

"Well, as entertaining as I'm sure you all find it looking your other selves up, perhaps we can get back to the problem at hand." Dr. K told them, turning her attention back to the scanner. "The reports are coming thick and fast, but the main concentration are on the streets surrounding the race track."

"That's Scorpion territory." Flynn interjected. "Who's fighting?"

"Everyone." Dr. K told them, turning to a live video feed, showing the battle well under way. The Scorpions were holed up in the race track, while the others were trying to storm the place.

"I never thought I'd see the day." Ziggy commented. "Spike Mike, Ronan, Carlyle and Eddie are fighting together?"

"They're all going after the Scorpions." Dillon added. "There's no way they can hold out forever."

"I doubt that's what we have to worry about." Ziggy replied, pointing to military vehicles rolling in, starting to lay down more fire. "I think what we have to worry about is how much of the city is going to be left!"

"Wait, is that...?" Summer called out, pointing to something. "That's the Eagle Flyer!"

"Somehow I don't think we need to think long to figure out what Scott wants." Jayden replied. "Come on guys."

"Wait, you're going?" Ziggy asked. "But, the military. Hicks warned us..."

"The military could use all the help they can get." Jayden replied. "Like you said, if something doesn't go their way soon, there may not be much of a city left to save."

"He's right." Summer agreed. "Come on guys, let's help out."

"RPM, Get in Gear!"

"Go Go Samurai!"

"Samurai Morpher, Gold Power!"

As they all morphed and prepared to leave, Dr. K just watched after them, her heart filled with dread.

"Please, bring him home." She whispered. "I couldn't bear to lose him."

Back at the Race Track, Benny ran into the office, finding Fresno Bob clutching a wound in his arm. He had a few shrapnel injuries, but nothing too severe. He could see that Bob was bleeding heavily.

"We need to get out of here." Benny told him, grabbing his old friend.

"I'm not running scared Benny!" He put down flatly. "I'm not being run out of here by..."

"This is no time for pride Bob!" He yelled at him. "You're bleeding to death! They're going to be in here any minute!"

Fresno Bob hated to feel vulnerable, helpless, but even he had to admit that the situation was beginning to look hopeless. The building was surrounded, and the explosions were becoming louder and more frequent. He knew it wouldn't be long until someone managed to get into the building.

"If we go now, we can turn ourselves in." He told Bob. "They'll get you to a hospital, and they'll keep you safe."

"You and I both know that I'll not be safe, not now that Truman's gone." Bob told him.

"You'll have a better chance than staying here." He rushed out as he grabbed a book case and pulled it back, revealing a door.

Bob followed him up a staircase, bursting out onto the roof, where a helicopter was waiting. As they arrived though, a blast hit the chopper, blowing it into smithereens. They both turned to see Scott advancing on them; his Nitro Blaster trained of Bob.

"Scott..."

Benny was pistol-whipped into unconsciousness as he approached Scott, trying to reason with him. He turned his attention back to Bob.

"Alright, I know you're angry..."

"Is that how I feel?" Scott asked him. "I used to get angry when I got a parking ticket. I used to get angry when I had a puncture and I hadn't replaced my spare! This is about as far from angry as I can get!"

"If you think this is going to make you feel better, go for it kid." Fresno Bob told him. "I've already told you. I had nothing to do with your old man's death."

"Don't you dare lie to me!" Scott yelled at him, firing a shot, taking out one of his legs, forcing him to his knees. "Just admit it and take what you've got coming to you!"

"He's telling the truth Scott." He heard a voice behind him say as Hicks and Vasquez appeared on the roof. "We know he didn't do it!"

"No, he wouldn't get his hands dirty." Scott sneered. "He wouldn't have the guts to take care of dad himself. He hired someone..."

"He didn't Scott, and we can prove it." Vasquez told him. "We found some documents in his office. He was signing up to become an informer."

"What?" Scott gasped as he heard this. Vasquez showed him the document. He furrowed his brows, realising it had indeed been signed by both Fresno Bob, and his father. He started to read through it.

"I wanted to retire, but I had no interest doing it at the bottom of the reservoir or the cells at the local prison." He informed him. "I was taking part in negotiations with your dad for a deal. I'd stay free on the condition that I helped the military bring down the other cartels."

"You were trying to...to bring down the cartels?" Scott asked him.

"I hadn't gotten as far as forwarding our proposal to Colonel Hicks." The Gang boss told him. "I wasn't lying when I said I respected your dad. We were going to bring an end to all the gangs in Corinth if this went ahead."

"We saw security footage of the meeting." Hicks confirmed. "Bob met with your dad to sign the deal the day before the hit."

"Sir, the cartels are on the run." A voice came over Hicks' radio. "Anyone we've not arrested, we're bound to pick up soon. We have a lot of casualties, but the Rangers showed up to help lock down the city."

"Alright, use them to get the area secured, and then get the injured to hospital." Hicks answered. "I want a report within the hour."

"I can give you one right now." A voice stated, breaking the silence. Bob fell to the ground as a sword impaled him. The dark figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself. "If you want to know who's responsible for Mayor Truman's death, you've found him."

"Jayden?" Hicks asked. This dimension's Jayden powered up a flame blast using Urumasa, and launched it forward, cutting off Hicks, Vasquez and Benny, leaving Scott trapped with him on the rooftop.

"I heard that you're the one to beat in this city." Jayden told him, preparing a guard with Urumasa. He was surrounded in flame, at which he started to shift shape, turning into a red, armoured Nighlock. "Let's see if your old man was the only loser in your family."

Scott converted his Nitro Blaster into sword mode and rushed him, his savage cry splitting the night air.


	7. A Mystery Saviour

The Rangers were helping the military to pacify the streets. It was the turning point they needed; the arrival of Power Rangers had a remarkable effect on the gangs on the streets. They were willing to fight the military, they had an outside chance with them, but they found that the very sight of a Ranger tended to send them scattering for the hills. Those that didn't run very quickly surrendered themselves for arrest.

Summer and Emily had helped a unit cut off the escape of a large contingent of The Blue Crew. One of the soldiers, a Sergeant, grabbed one of them, inspecting his face and smiled.

"Well well well, looks like this time you got your hands dirty Ronan." He mocked the gang leader. It was an all too rare opportunity, generally the higher up members of the gangs were protected, doing everything they could to obfuscate their own involvement in illegal activities. To find Ronan out in the middle of the warzone was a miraculous opportunity to get him off the streets for a long time. He was caught red-handed with enough evidence even his lawyers couldn't explain away that he was bound to serve some time inside. "If it's any consolation, one of our other patrols picked up Spike Mike a little while ago. It looks like Christmas came a little early."

"Why don't you go...?"

The Sergeant slammed the butt of a rifle into his gut, before gesturing to the others to load him into the back of a truck. Summer just came over, looking at him in disbelief.

"Christmas?" She asked him. "People died out here!"

"In one night, we've managed to round up more of the cartels than any other time since the dome went up!" He told her with a shrug. "Come on guys; let's get these guys back to HQ and processed."

Emily just turned to Summer, shaking her head.

"I can't believe him!" She shrieked. "How could anyone be happy about this?"

"He's a jerk." Summer sighed. "Sadly, our military is full of them."

Just then, the other Rangers ran into view, converging on the street.

"It looks like the riot's starting to split up." Jayden commented. "We've managed to secure most of the streets. The military should be able to handle it from here."

"So where's Scott?" Flynn asked them. He was the only one that was not with them.

"None of you found him?" Summer asked. They all shook their heads in response. Just then, Hicks and Vasquez arrived, having escaped from the fire on the roof of the race track.

"Guys, Scott needs your help." Hicks rushed out. "He's trapped in a battle with the killer."

"Wait, what?" Flynn asked. "He's fighting Fresno Bob?"

"No, that's just it, it wasn't Bob." Vasquez added. "Someone else did it and made it look like it was him to start all this. He wanted to draw Scott out into the open."

"He's on the roof of the racetrack." Hicks told them. "We tried to get through, but the flames were too intense."

"Alright, we'll get over there to help." Jayden replied. "Come on."

On the roof of the race track, Scott was sent spiralling to the ground as the Nighlock Jayden sliced him across the chest with Urumasa. He struggled on the floor, looking up at the creature before him. He had already met and sparred against Jayden back at the Shiba House in his own dimension. He knew that Jayden was a tough opponent in his own right, but with the power of Urumasa together with his own skill and the power of his symbol power, he was finding the battle tougher than any he had faced before.

"So, this is the great Scott Truman, the legendary Ranger Red!" Jayden sneered dismissively. "I thought you were meant to be the best."

"I'm good enough to take you!" He called back, pushing himself to his feet and summoning his Street Sabre. "You're going to pay for what you did!"

"Ah, your dad." Jayden taunted him. "You know, if it makes a difference, according to my assassin, he went down fighting to the end. Even when he knew he was finished, he refused to give in. All I wonder is will you satisfy Urumasa by going the same way? Or will you beg for mercy before the end?"

"Street Sabre Strike!" Scott called out as he activated the attack, rushing towards him. Jayden just stood, awaiting the attack, parrying it with his blade. The two slid some distance, before coming to a halt. Jayden swept the Street Sabre out of his hands, before bringing Urumasa across him, sending him flying into the wreckage of the helicopter, denting it badly.

"Well, this has been fun, but perhaps I chose the wrong Ranger for the ultimate duel." Jayden sighed, beginning to approach him. "Maybe the Yellow Ranger will be a better match."

Just as he approached, bringing the sword up to strike, Scott saw something happening behind him. The flames parted, and a figure started to approach. Just as his vision dimmed and he lost his battle to retain consciousness, he heard a large impact.

He woke up again later, finding himself lying on the bench in Dr. K's lab. All of the Rangers were standing around him, watching on in concern.

"How are you feeling?" Summer asked him.

"I have a headache." He told them.

"That's hardly surprising." Dr. K informed him. "You have a hairline fracture of the skull and a concussion."

"You've been out for a couple of hours." Flynn informed him. "We brought you back here to get looked at."

"What about Jayden?" He asked, before looking to the Red Samurai Ranger. "No, not you, the other one."

"We...um...we don't know." Jayden informed him. "He was gone by the time we arrived."

"The fire was too." Emily interjected. "All we found up there was you and Bob."

"No, that can't be right." Scott told them. "I saw it before I blacked out. The flames parted. I saw you walking through."

"Scott, I assure you, I wasn't there." Jayden reiterated.

"Then, someone else saved Scott?" Gemma asked.

"Who else could it be?" Gem quizzed them.

"There's one way to find out." Dr. K told them, accessing a computer. "As you all know, your Ranger suits are fitted with recording equipment so that I can analyse details of the battles you're involved in. It will only take a moment to play back the footage."

She called up an image, showing the final moments of the battle. Scott was lying prone, and the readouts showed his power levels to be sinking to dangerous levels. It was then that they saw the flames parting, and a figure walking through.

"I can hardly see." Mike commented.

"The flames make it hard; I'll try to enhance it." Dr. K told him. As they enhanced it. Seeing the figure coming forward, they could see the unmistakable shape of the Fire Smasher being carried across the stranger's shoulders. Jayden's mouth hung open as the stranger stepped forward. It was the Red Samurai Ranger, but not as they had ever seen before.

"That's your helmet." Mike commented. "But...that sure isn't you."

"Yeah, that Red Ranger's smaller for a start." Kevin stated. Mia just looked to him in disbelief.

"That's all you noticed?" She asked him. "She's wearing a skirt, and she has...well..."

"It's a girl!" Emily shrieked. "The Red Ranger's a girl!"

"But...I thought only members of the Shiba Clan could use Fire Symbol Power." Mike added. "But Jayden's the only member of the Shiba Clan."

"Isn't it obvious? Things are different here." Kevin reminded them. "Maybe in this dimension Jayden's dad had more than one kid."

"Yeah, that's obviously it." Jayden stated, turning off the monitor. "All I know is that if this dimension's me has Urumasa, then I doubt he's going down easily. It'll take more than one Ranger to finish him."

"Well, you can count me in." Scott replied, trying to get up, only to be held back down by Dillon.

"You're not going anywhere." Dillon told him flatly.

"He killed..."

"He almost killed you once because you ran off half-cocked." Summer reminded him. "Maybe if you'd waited for the rest of us, you wouldn't have ended up here."

"Well, we already know one thing." Antonio stated, putting an arm around Jayden. "You already took out one owner of Urumasa and smashed it. If it can be done once, it can be done again."

"I hope so." Jayden stated. "I really do."


	8. Meeting Yourself

The Nighlock Jayden returned to his hideout, following his battle against Scott. It had not gone as expected.

His plan had gone exactly the way he was sure it would. The gang war, the military response, the bloodshed on the streets, the distraction to the Rangers, he had anticipated all of it. He had managed to draw out Scott and get him on his own.

Urumasa was not satisfied though. It was not a fitting battle. He was blinded by fury, uncoordinated and his attacks lacking in precision and direction. In the end, the result had been inevitable. Urumasa had not even managed to feel the little satisfaction of taking his life, quenching even a little its hunger for blood.

He had been caught off-guard when she arrived. It had been so long since he had seen her, he wasn't even sure that she still lived. After she had cut him down with the Fire Smasher, he found himself hesitating. It was something he had never considered in his wildest dreams that she would have followed him here.

He snatched up Urumasa, turning towards the door as he heard someone coming in. He saw that it was Mia, his assassin. She appeared to be injured, though nothing too serious, only minor cuts and bruises. She had clearly gotten caught up in some scuffles while she was on the way back.

"Well, it's good to see you made it." Jayden stated as he put the cursed blade down on the table beside him. "What happened to you?"

"Some of the Yo Yo Brother's crew cornered me." She informed him. "It's a mistake they won't make again."

"I'm sure." Jayden answered dryly as he reached for a tea set, putting on the kettle.

"Truman?" She asked him.

"He's alive." Jayden told her. She just looked at him, slightly aghast.

"What?" She shrieked. "After all of that? He's still...?"

"And when exactly did it become part of our deal that you question me?" Jayden asked her. "I presume that you also encountered difficulties. After all, I did not ask you to do anything that should have been beyond your capabilities."

"The Rangers got involved." Mia told him.

"The Rangers?" He asked her. "But...they were ordered to stay out of it."

"Well it looks like they disobeyed." She told him in an exasperated tone as she looked out some food. "Perhaps their new friends convinced them to do it."

"New friends?" He asked her. "What new friends?"

"It seems some of the other bloodlines may have made it to Corinth." She informed him. "I saw a Blue and Green Samurai Ranger."

"But that's impossible!" Jayden called out. "The morphers were back at the Shiba House. The bloodlines were never called!"

"I thought so too, but I know what I saw!" Mia protested. Jayden just glared at her, but then a thought came to him. The Red Ranger was here. It seemed that perhaps she had brought more than one morpher with her.

"Hack into the city's identity records." He instructed her, pointing to a computer in the corner.

"What are we looking for?" Mia asked him as she got onto the computer and started to work.

"I was the head of the Shiba Clan remember?" He asked her with a little smile, patting her on the shoulder. "I had to keep track of all the clans in case they needed to be called."

"You know the clans?" Mia asked him.

"I found you didn't I?" He reminded her.

"We're in." Mia responded as she pulled up the programme. "What's the first name?"

The following morning, the RPM Rangers were hanging back at the Garage in order to be ready if the Nighlock Jayden showed up again, and to make sure that someone was there with Scott. Between his stubborn nature and his desire to avenge what had happened to his father, they were sure that he would fight bravely, but he was in no state to take him on alone.

Meanwhile, the Samurai Rangers were being taken back to their respective jobs. They had all agreed to help with the reclamation project. They weren't too keen on leaving the RPM Rangers alone, knowing that Jayden's other self was still running around, but they knew that they could be contacted, and they had made a promise to help.

Emily and Mike were working on the agricultural sector, using their symbol power to assist in the growth of new crops. Emily had just finished overturning a new field when Mike came across, carrying a water bottle for her.

"Hard work huh?" He asked her. She just nodded her head.

"By the time we get home, I doubt we'll need much symbol power training for the next month." She told him. "I'm getting pretty pooped."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a break." He told her, jerking his head in the direction of some thicker foliage. "I think I might have an idea what might be fun."

"What are you suggesting?" Emily asked him, arching an eyebrow. Mike just grabbed her hand and started to pull her into the foliage. She giggled a little as she followed him, wondering what he was thinking. He stopped her a little way later, holding a finger to his lips to indicate to her to be quiet. He pulled back some foliage, at which she saw a little cottage, a wooden-built farmhouse, a lot like the one she had lived in growing up, though by the looks of things, it was brand new. Looking a little closer, she saw what he was trying to show him. Sitting on a swing-seat on the front porch..."

"That's...me!" She gasped quietly. She looked to Mike, her mouth hanging open.

"I took down a few details of our other selves." Mike told her. "I thought it might be fun to have a little look."

"But...that's..."

"Come on, can't you admit to being even a little curious?" Mike asked her. She was about to answer, before looking back to the house. Although something did feel a little strange about essentially spying on themselves, she had to admit that she was more than a little curious to see what they were like.

The other Mike came out, carrying a couple of sandwiches. One, a kind of normal sized thing, which he handed to Emily, and a footlong, which was overflowing with meats and vegetables.

"It looks like some things don't change between dimensions." She giggled, prodding Mike. He just rolled his eyes.

"Just look at that." He responded, pointing to them as his other self put an arm around his wife. "Isn't it...can you imagine...if things were different that we could have been like this?"

"Mike, we already are..."

"No, you know what I mean." He responded. "I love what we have, but you know, the home, the wedding..."

"I guess it is kind of a nice thought." She answered. "Of course, what it did require for us to have this life is most of the world being destroyed."

"Yeah, I guess that bit does put a bit of a dampener on it." He conceded.

"I guess we'll just have to wait." She added, beginning to run her hand through his hair softly. He just looked at her, a little smile starting to play on his lips.

"Wait?" He asked her. She just nodded, before grabbing him and turning him onto his back, lying on top of him.

"Don't you think I'd be worth waiting for?" She asked him. He just nodded.

"Of course." He replied. She pulled into him, kissing him deeply. They were only interrupted as a dog started to lick them. She rolled off Mike, allowing him to back away.

"Um...easy boy." Mike stammered out, somewhat stunned by the dog's presence.

"Mike, it's OK, he doesn't seem to be..."

"Duke, what's up?" They heard a voice calling out.

"Duke, who's there boy?" Another voice called out.

"Mike, maybe we should be going?" Emily suggested.

"I think that might be a little late." Mike replied, pointing to the couple as they arrived. The alternate dimension Mike and Emily just stared at them in shock. Duke, the dog looked between the two sets of owners, and then lay down, covering his head with his paws, whining, unable to understand why he seemed to have two sets of masters.

"Uh, Mike?" The farmer Emily asked. "Is that...us?"

"OK, I think that maybe we need to explain something." The Samurai Mike stated.

"That would be good." His alternate self replied, gesturing towards the house.

A little way off though, the assassin Mia had seen the whole exchange. She was no less confused by the whole thing. She had come in search of the other clan members to see whether or not Jayden's suspicions were true. However, when she had seen the whole thing unfolding, seen that there were more than one of each of them, she decided to hang back and learn more.

She followed them quietly as they headed to the house. Once they were inside, she made her way to the outside wall, and hung by the window to the sitting room. She watched as they all got into the sitting room.

"Alright, so...what's the story?" Corinth's Mike asked. "Last time I checked, people didn't have doubles."

"Well, normally they don't." The Samurai Mike stated. "Emily and I...we aren't from around here."

"I think we had figured out that much." Farmer Mike said sarcastically. "Now, you said you were going to explain why you look like us..."

"Because we are you!" The Samurai Emily stated. "We're just from...well...the thing is...um..."

"You know how the RPM Rangers followed an attack bot into another dimension a while back?" Samurai Mike asked. They just nodded. "Well, we're from that dimension."

"You're us from another dimension?" Farmer Emily asked. "OK, that's...huh?"

"I can't remember exactly how Dr. K explained it, but every time a random event takes place, a new reality is created for every possible outcome." Samurai Mike explained. "The reality we come from, we were called to become Samurai Rangers."

The married couple just turned and looked at each other, before looking back to them.

"You...you know about that?" Farmer Mike asked.

"Of course we do, we're you." Samurai Emily replied. "The RPM Rangers asked us to help out with the reclamation project. We're using our symbol power to..."

"I told you it wasn't just our efforts!" Farmer Mike interrupted her, looking to his wife. "I said those crops were growing too fast."

"I thought we were just getting better." She said with a shrug.

"Look, we weren't really meant to meet you." Samurai Mike told them. "But when we found out you were here, we were just...curious."

"I guess it is kind of interesting." Farmer Mike conceded. "I mean, there are other uses...es."

"This could get confusing." Farmer Emily stated. "If we're going to continue, how about if you all call me Em, and my husband Michael."

"You know I hate that name..."

"That way!" Em interrupted her husband with a glare. "We'll all know who we're talking about."

"I guess that could work." Emily replied. She took Mike's hand, looking to them. "Um...sorry for snooping, it's just, when we heard we were married here..."

"Yeah, that's an interesting story." Michael chuckled. "What do you say Em, should we tell them?"

"I guess so." She replied. "Come back for lunch. We'd be happy to have you."

As they got up to leave, the assassin Mia took this time to leave. She figured she had already heard all the information that was of any interest to her and her boss.

Back at his hideout, the Nighlock Jayden was practicing with Urumasa, running through an intense training routine. He wanted to be ready for when he would once again be ready to seek out new opponents and challenges.

As he completed his pattern, he heard the door opening behind him. He turned to see Mia standing behind him.

"You're back soon." He told her. She just nodded.

"The other clans have not been called." She informed him.

"But I thought you said..."

"The RPM Rangers brought our counterparts here from another dimension." She interrupted him, giving him a little smile. "Apparently, in another reality they were called."

"Now, that is interesting." Nighlock Jayden replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Just imagine, trained Samurai." Mia continued. "I'm sure among them you will find a worthy foe."

Jayden went to the computer, and he called up the programme. He placed a hand into a scanner as Mia looked on. He smiled as something came up.

"Now THAT is interesting." He remarked, looking to the screen. It showed a record for a temporary citizen ID in his name.

"Another you?" Mia asked him. "You want to fight...yourself?"

"Who could possibly be a better match for me than me?" He asked her. "The difficulty will be in getting him alone."

"I think I may have an idea." Mia replied, scanning her hand. She smiled as it seemed her theory paid off. If the others all had a counterpart, then she was sure that it was possible she would have one too.

"I like the way you think." Jayden replied.


	9. The Lure

Hot, that was all he could think of as he walked. It was...hot. He had been in a lot of video arcades in his days, and a lot of them could get incredibly hot. Between the video games that would be on from the moment the doors opened throughout the day, and the combined body heat of all the kids that were playing obsessively, feeding all their money into the greedy machines, but this was something else.

Michael had never been a particularly "outdoorsy" kind of person, he was much happier indoors. Whether it was playing his games, watching television, or practicing his hand to hand with his dad, he always preferred being indoors.

When the fighters had first come, he was just coming home from school. He was talking with his friends Reece and Matthew about their plans for the evening, another day "wasted" as their parents would put it, in the arcade. They were laughing and joking as they made their way to their favourite taco stand on the way to the arcade. Seeing them in the distance, at first Mike just thought it was a swarm of insects. Unfortunately, he was soon proven horribly wrong.

That was now a long time ago. He had lost track of the days, he had lost his watch in his rush to escape the robots that swept into his town, destroying everything in their path. He had fought as best he could, but he found his attacks largely ineffective against them. He figured out when he had seen one smash open after being hit by a car that they were not human, but wholly mechanical. His hand-to-hand attacks relied on his opponents feeling pain, that eventually their senses would be so overloaded that the opponent would no longer be capable of fighting back, but that was not the case for these creatures. He couldn't even rely on simply hitting them hard enough to cause some damage; the metal they were made from was incredibly strong. In the end, he had no choice but to pack up what little he could carry from his place and run.

He had heard something about a place called Corinth, a domed city where they would be safe. He knew roughly the way to go, but map-reading had never really been his thing. He thought he was going the right direction, but he was no longer even certain about that.

Now, as he was sweating profusely and struggling to keep going, he was on his own. His parents were already dead when he got to his place. Reece had been killed by an explosion on the way out of town, while Matthew...he had lost him a couple of days back, waking up to find only his backpack left behind. He just woke up and Matthew wasn't there. While it was little consolation to him to think of him simply being delirious and wandering off, he had a nagging suspicion in his mind that his old friend had realised that the little water and food they had left would not last long and had left it for Mike, sacrificing himself to increase the chances that at least one of them would make it to safety.

Mike stopped at the foot of a rocky cliff in some shade, and put down his back pack, pulling out the bottle of water. There were only a couple of mouthfuls left, and it was his last bottle. Checking inside, he pulled out empty food packets, finally finding a pack of beef jerky that still had a couple of strips inside, also the last of his food.

He sighed and took a strip, taking a bite out of it, before looking around. Corinth was still nowhere in sight. He resigned himself to the fact that he had another day, perhaps two to find it, otherwise he was finished, and since he was sure a massive metal dome in the middle of the desert wasn't exactly the easiest thing to miss, his hope was fading fast.

Just then, he heard the familiar bleeping noise as a few grinders showed up. He saw a couple on motorcycles roaring into view, while another four started to round the rocks, forming a semi-circle around him, cutting off any form of escape.

He grabbed a rock, throwing it, and rebounding it off the head of one, smashing one of its optic sensors and tearing off some of the shell, but otherwise, it just kept coming. Mike pulled back into a guard. This was it, he had no way out, but he was going to go down fighting.

"You need bigger rocks!" He heard a female voice call out. Just then, a couple of glowing yellow rocks flew off the side of the cliff, smashing four of the Grinders into oblivion. He turned around, straining his neck to look upwards, finding himself barely able to see, the sunlight was blinding.

"Get down!" She screamed out again. Mike just ducked, at which another couple of rocks tumbled down, crushing the remaining Grinders before they could get back to the bikes.

"Are you alright?" The female asked. Mike just looked upward, smiling as she started to climb down.

"Yeah, thanks." He replied. Just then, some rocks shifted under her feet and she fell, screaming from the rock face, about ten feet above him. Mike rushed forward, catching her as she fell, being knocked off his feet.

As he felt her moving, shifting to try and get off him, the light shone around her. She was completely breathtaking, easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.

"Wow, smooth as always." She grumbled. "Sorry, thanks for that."

"Any time." Mike told her as she got off him, helping him up. "But I think I should be thanking you. You're the one who saved me."

"Well, I doubt I'd have made it to Corinth with a couple of broken legs." She replied. "What's your name anyway?"

"Mike." He replied. "Sorry to tell you this, but Corinth..."

"Its about ten miles that way, just beyond those dunes." She interrupted him, pointing. He just looked puzzled. "I was up there for a reason. I got lost and thought I could get a better look from up there."

"Great." He replied. "I was just about to run out of food..."

"You have food?" She yelped. Mike looked to the packet in his hand and offered her the rest. She grabbed it and started tearing off pieces, chewing intently. He could see the desperation in her expression as she forced it down, and offered her the last of his water.

"I guess you're hungrier than me." He commented.

"The last of my food ran out nearly two days ago." She mumbled through the food in her mouth. She looked to him, and seemed to stop, almost as if she was gravely concerned about the fact she was talking with her mouth full. She forced down the food in her mouth and swept her mouth with her sleeve. "Um...I'm Emily by the way."

"Emily." Mike said with a little smile. "Well, we should get moving. I doubt they're going to leave the doors open forever."

"Right." She agreed. Mike just caught her arm as she was about to head off for the city.

"Emily, its ten miles, and we've both been walking for days." He told her, turning her towards the bikes that had been left by the destroyed Grinders. "Why look a gift horse in the mouth?"

"I...I...don't know how to ride." She admitted. Mike just smiled.

"Well, my cousin took me dirt biking a couple of times." Mike told her, getting on one of them. "Come on, just...hold on tight."

"So, I quite literally fell for him." Em concluded in the present day, taking her husband's hand.

"That sounds about right." Emily commented, looking to Mike and grinning sweetly. "It seems I'm a klutz in every dimension."

"Neither of us had any family left, and we arrived together, so we were assigned living quarters near each other." Em continued to relay their story, laughing a little hearing her other self refer to her characteristic clumsiness. "We both really got on, and since we had both lost our families, we kind of became one ourselves over time."

"One day, I told Emily I recognised her symbol power and told her that I was from the Forest Bloodline." Michael explained. "We both went into agriculture, using our powers to help the colony. In the end, I guess we both realised that we were made for each other. We've been married for nearly a year."

"So, I'm guessing you two are dating?" Michael asked, pointing to the young Samurai. Mike just smiled and nodded.

"We are." He informed them. "Sorry for intruding, it's just...we were just really surprised to find out we're already married here, and we wanted to see for ourselves."

"Well, some people thought it was young, but we just knew it was right." Em told them. "When the time's right, you just know."

"Jeez, Mike, look at the time!" Emily called out as her attention turned to the clock. "We've been here for ages!"

"You're right, the other farmers will be wondering if we intend to do anything today." Michael replied. "If the four of us work together, maybe you two won't be too late getting back to your friends."

"That'll be appreciated." Emily told them. "After all that's happened, Jayden wants us all to stay in contact."

"Well then, I guess we better get to work." Em answered. "So...the Rangers know about your powers and they're alright with it?"

"Yeah." Mike told them.

"We were always too worried to draw attention to ourselves." Michael told them. "We've been helping the crops, but we've not been doing too much in case they found out."

"We worried that the authorities would think we were...I don't know...a threat or something." Em added.

"Well, if you let them know about your talents, then they'll know the real source of them." Mike assured them. "Something tells me the military will be only too happy to grow these fields inside a couple of days."

Meanwhile, over at the foundry, Jayden was working with the metal workers, using his symbol power to control the flame in the furnaces. It allowed them to heat and pour steel for construction supplies much quicker. It was tiring using so much of his symbol power, but he was only too happy to help.

Just then, he saw Mia coming into the foundry, accompanied by some soldiers. Her clothing was torn, and a little dirty, and she had numerous minor injuries, bruises and cuts across her face, neck and hands. Jayden stopped what he was doing and ran over to her.

"Mia, what happened?" He asked her. "I thought you were at the reservoir helping Kevin."

"I was, but I was just heading out for some supplies when..." She started to shift a little uneasily. "When the other you attacked me."

"Are you alright?" He asked her. She just nodded.

"It's nothing serious; he just wanted to make a point." She informed him. "She wanted me to tell you that he knows you're here. He wants to duel you."

Jayden's blood ran cold when he heard this. Two of his friends had now been hurt by this lunatic. He had caused several deaths just to draw Scott out in the first place. Urumasa's power and influence had obviously driven him completely over the edge. He didn't care what he had to do in order to get the fights he wanted.

"Call the others..."

"He also wanted me to tell you that you must come alone." She told him. "He said that if you don't, he's going to go to the orphanage."

Jayden recoiled in horror as he heard this. So far, only one person had ever been strong enough to resist Urumasa's truly bloodthirsty nature. Dekker only ever sought out the strongest opponents, those worthy of his power. The only other he had seen wield it had been nothing short of a psychopath, and clearly his other self had gone the same way. It made him thankful that Urumasa had never called him after Dekker fell.

"Alright." Jayden replied. "Where do I meet him?"

"Follow me." Mia told him. "I'll take you to him."

In another part of town, the Nighlock Jayden sat, meditating with Urumasa laying across his lap as he prepared for what he had hoped would be the greatest challenge he had ever faced. It was a long time since he had faced that kind of challenge before. On the day he had defeated Dekker, striking his head from his shoulders in retribution for the murder of his adopted father, Ji, he was sure he was going to die himself, but then, he felt the call for the first time, and his hand found the hilt of Urumasa.

Since that day, he had given himself completely to its influence. He left the Shiba House, it had nothing of interest for him any longer, and he travelled the globe in a desperate search for those with the power to challenge him.

After Venjix came, those challenges were only harder to come by. Very few humans were left, and for almost a year, he wandered the wastes, taking down anything he could find moving. While the attack bots were challenging though, they did not satisfy Urumasa's thirst. It knew that these beings were false beings, and it craved blood like an addict. Its hunger only grew, until he happened upon a battle that the RPM Rangers fought outside the dome, and knew that this was what he was looking for.

His eyes opened and he smiled, looking down to Urumasa.

"You will taste the blood of the worthy once more." He said to it in a whisper. "Of that, I promise you."

Meanwhile, Jayden was following Mia through the streets, quietly preparing himself for what was to come. It was as they rounded another corner, taking them even further from the Garage, that he started to worry.

"Mia, maybe you should just tell me the rest of the way." Jayden suggested. "You're pretty banged up."

"I'll be fine Jayden." She replied. "Seriously, you worry too much."

"Mia, it's a long way. You really should head back." Jayden told her. "If nothing else, the others will need to know in case something bad happens."

"Trust me; I'll make sure the others hear about this." Mia assured him. "Come on. He won't wait forever."

At that point, Kevin and Mia were just coming out of an ice cream shop, carrying tubs of ice cream. They had finished up their shift for the day, and they were just getting in a few treats for their friends. They figured that in his injured state especially, Scott would appreciate it.

"Do you think we bought enough?" Kevin asked sarcastically.

"There are thirteen of us." Mia reminded him. "Come on, let's get back before anyone starts to worry."

"I don't think we have to worry too much about that." Kevin replied. "Look, there's Jayden. Hey, Jayden! Over here!"

Jayden and his companion turned around, and the Red Ranger just looked completely stunned as standing right there, only a few feet away was Mia. He looked to the woman at his side, who just gave him a little smirk.

"It was worth a try." She commented. Suddenly, all three of them started to sink to their knees, gasping for air as the air just left them. Mia recognised the energy of her own symbol power working to draw all the air away from their lungs. Through sheer force of will, she managed to fight off the assassin's grip on her, and ran towards her, attacking her in a fury.

Jayden and Kevin were relieved to be able to breathe again, but were still weakened by the experience. The two Mias were busy battling back and forward, struggling for position as they stumbled further and further into the darkness.

"We've got to help!" Kevin called out.

"But which one?" Jayden asked. The assassin Mia had taken the precaution of wearing similar clothing to her counterpart to further the illusion. Between the dark and the fact they were moving so quickly, it was next to impossible to get a look at any one of them long enough to differentiate them.

Kevin squinted to see, before instinctively tracing a symbol in the air, launching a water jet and smashing one of them into the wall. Taking the opening, the other kicked her hard across the face, knocking her out cold.

"Alright, hold it right there!" Jayden yelled, calling out his Spin Sword. Kevin just put a hand on it.

"We got the right one." He assured him with a smile, wrapping his arms around her. "I'd know my girl anywhere."

Jayden just looked to them both for a moment, before taking off his belt, using it to lash the unconscious Mia's hands behind her back, taking care not to take his eyes off the other.

"How can you be sure?" Jayden asked.

"Her disguise isn't detailed enough." Kevin replied. He took Mia's left hand and held it up, showing him her engagement ring. "I saw it reflecting the light."

Jayden checked the other, confirming that she was not wearing a ring at all. He then scooped her up, throwing her over his shoulder.

"Alright, we need to get her back to Dr. K." He told them. "She said my other self has threatened to attack the orphanage if I don't duel him."

"Then we need to find out where he is." Kevin agreed. "And it looks like this is our best lead."

A little while later, the assassin Mia started to come to, finding her arms secured behind her in heavy metal restraints. She was sitting inside a plexi-glass tube in Dr. K's lab. She started to look around groggily, seeing the RPM Rangers and the Samurai all staring at her.

"Well, I guess that explains how that guy in the hospital just stopped breathing for no reason." Flynn announced. "I'm sure Hicks will find plenty of similar cases and link them to you."

"Please, how long do you think this will hold me?" Mia asked them. "Now, if you don't release me..."

Dr. K pressed a button, and the assassin suddenly found herself gasping for air. She looked to them in horror as she allowed her to suffocate for a moment, before releasing the button.

"That tube is air tight. The only air that can get in or out is the air I pump through it." She informed the assassin. "There's a sensor in here monitoring air levels. If the air level in here drops beyond an acceptable level, then the vents in there shut off and the air will be removed."

"It doesn't feel good to suffocate does it?" Jayden asked her. "Now, tell us where to find Jayden."

"Do you really think I'll tell you?" Mia asked them.

"I really think you don't have much of a choice." Summer stated. "Your boss threatened the orphanage. That's really not on."

"That was just something I said to get your Jayden to listen." She responded. "He has something much better in mind."

They all looked around each other in confusion.

"I'm not his only follower. He got one of the smaller mobs to help him set up the cartels." She told them. "After the chaos of the last few nights, everyone's still reeling so much that the city's ripe for the picking, and they've got more than the firepower to do it. They'll be released into the city in the next twenty minutes, unless I return."

She then looked to Jayden.

"He'll meet you where he nearly killed your microphone-haired friend there." She told them.

"Sorry, but the first rule of engagement is never face an enemy on his terms." Mia replied. "You will return."

The others looked to her in confusion.

"If those guys get loose in the city, it'll be another massacre." She reminded them. "If we manage to get to them before they get loose, we can ambush them with enough firepower to take them without much of a fight."

She then looked to Dr. K.

"Find out where they're hiding out." She instructed her. "I need to get ready to make sure she reappears."

She took off her engagement ring and handed it to Kevin.

"Alright, for this to work, I need one of you to make me look like her." She told them. They looked between them both, and realised what she meant. The Assassin Mia was carrying injuries from her earlier battles.

"I think I can manage something with make-up..."

"Thanks Summer, but what if I got wet? What if someone took a look at the injuries?" Mia told her. She looked to her friends and sighed. "One of you will have to make me look like her."

None of them wanted to do it. Mia just looked around, pleadingly.

"If we don't do this, people will die!" She reiterated. She looked to Kevin. "Please."

He took her by the hand and took her into another room; the others just let him go for some privacy. As he closed the door, he looked to Mia, his heart breaking. A few tears were starting to well up in him.

"I love you." He whispered to her.

"I love you too." She replied. With that, he brought the back of his hand across her face as hard as he could.


	10. Jayden Vs Jayden

Bulk and Spike wandered down the street, stopping outside the school. The next day was the first day of the new term, and Spike's first day. They had decided to walk out together to figure out the best route and make sure he didn't get lost and end up being late on his first day.

Bulk saw the way his nephew eyed up the school. It wasn't much to look at really, just a tall, smooth, modern-looking stone building, four stories high. There were a couple of other smaller buildings nearby, connected by walkways on the third floor, and a parking lot out the front, with a small section separated off for staff parking. The rest was for those students fortunate enough to own their own cars, and there was a sign nearby directed people to the back to the sports fields. The words "Central High School" were emblazoned across the front.

The building itself didn't really bother Spike. It looked like a nice school, clearly quite modern and well-funded, meaning that it likely had a lot of learning resources at its disposal. It was just that even though he knew he was going back to make friends, and that he already knew a couple of people, he was just now starting to become nervous. It had been a long time since he had been to a school properly, he had been home-schooled for over a year and a half to get him away from the bullying. Bulk saw his expression and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure about this?" Bulk asked him. "We can always enrol you a little later."

"No. I'll be fine." Spike replied quietly, looking to him. "I can't keep running."

"Come on." Bulk told him, jerking his head back in the direction of their house. "Let's pick up some chicken on the way."

As he left, Spike took one last look back in the direction of the school. Although he was still a little scared about what he would face tomorrow, he also felt a certain excitement. No more running, no more hiding at home with his uncle or his parents, he would finally stand on his own two feet and deal with his own problems. It was just something he knew he needed to do.

Back in the other dimension, Mia staggered into a wall to support herself, clutching her ribs. Her face, arms and body were now covered in cuts and bruises. She had no choice in the matter. Her other self had told them about the Nighlock Jayden's plan to release the new gang into the city to keep the other Rangers busy.

She knew they needed to stop that from happening. It was a miracle more people hadn't died in the street battles when the cartels went after the Scorpions, and they had yet to fully recover. The last thing they could afford was another incident like that.

She could hardly even breathe without hurting. In order for the plan to work, she needed to make sure she looked just like her counterpart, who the gang were expecting to come back to them and give them the order to move out. That unfortunately meant replicating her injuries.

What hurt more than the beating though was the look in Kevin's eyes as he did it to her. She had asked him specifically to do it, but she could see his heart breaking with every blow as she just allowed him to attack her, only blocking a few of the attacks in order to make sure she had some defensive wounds in case they checked her. By the time they were finished, and she was satisfied that they would not suspect her as an imposter, he couldn't even look at her, and he was in tears. She wished they had time for her to comfort him properly over the incident, but it was far more important that they did this now.

She arrived at the rail yard, finding the trucks assembled. She took a second to look around, seeing the men all standing waiting. There were dozens, maybe more than a hundred waiting, all checking weapons and waiting for the signal. She took a deep breath, and straightened herself up, fighting the pain as she composed herself, trying to get into character as a remorseless assassin. She walked into view with all the confidence she could muster. Three of them approached her, carrying rifles.

"It's about time." One of them announced. "What took you so long?"

"That's none of your concern." Mia told him coldly, trying as much as possible to replicate the demeanour and mannerisms of her other self. She gave him a harsh glare. "I'll take the lead."

"Wait, what?" He asked. "We already know..."

"There's been a change of plan." Mia interrupted him. One of the others just snorted.

"I smell a rat." He told the others.

"The boss said there was another her." One of the others reminded them.

Mia saw them going for their weapons, and was about to just let them satisfy themselves, but she suddenly got a thought. Would her other self take that? Would she just let them question her? As loathe as she was to do so, for the first time, she used her symbol power in a potentially lethal manner, directing the air from their lungs. The three men fell to their knees, looking up to her in horror.

"Are you convinced now?" Mia snarled. She hated this. It was completely against what she had been trained. They held on for a second, and she was about to release them, but eventually the leader just nodded. She released them from the grip, relieved that they hadn't pushed their luck and forced her to risk their welfare. "Good, now if that's everything, follow me."

She went to one of the trucks, getting into the passenger seat. The gang members all got into trucks, ready to move out.

"Alright, drive." Mia instructed the driver. "I'll tell you the way."

In another part of the city, the Nighlock Jayden was standing on the roof of the race track, waiting for his other self to show up. He was wearing a gleaming white suit, and had Urumasa strapped across his back. The rooftop itself still showed all the signs of the previous battle. The area was still scorched from where the flames had burned, creating the arena. There was some crime scene tape still around, but he hadn't taken any notice.

The Samurai Jayden kicked open the roof access door, striding out to face his other self. The Nighlock Jayden turned towards him and gave him a slightly judgemental look.

"God, did I ever dress like that?" He snorted in disgust.

"You wanted me to come here." Jayden told him. "I came."

"Oh, there's no reason to rush into anything." The Nighlock Jayden stated, beginning to pace. "We'll duel soon enough, but I'm just curious. You appear to still be..."

"Good?" Jayden suggested.

"Boring." The Nighlock Jayden answered. "I guess you've never had to face any real opponents."

"My team was called, yours wasn't." Jayden answered. "If anyone's had it easy..."

"Easy? Hardly! I only had to defeat the Cursed Warrior!" He boasted, gesturing to Urumasa. "I destroyed the most powerful..."

"You mean Dekker?" Jayden asked him. "I defeated him ages ago."

"You lie! How could you possibly have destroyed Dekker?" The Nighlock Jayden asked him. "You do not have Urumasa!"

"Why don't you try me and find out how strong I am?" Jayden replied, pulling out his Samuraizer. "Go Go Samurai!"

The other Jayden changed into his Nighlock form, pulling out Urumasa and rushing towards him. Jayden only just got his spin sword out in time to parry.

In one of the many retail areas of the city, the Samurai Rangers and the RPM Rangers were waiting for the signal to move in. They had taken up positions out of sight all around the complex, ready for the trap to spring.

In their hiding spot, Mike and Kevin were waiting for Mia to pull off her part of the plan. Mike looked to the Blue Ranger, seeing the way he just stared at his swollen knuckles. He breathed a sigh and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You're beating yourself up worse than you did Mia." He told him, before realising what it sounded like. Kevin just looked to him, unable to answer. "Uh...sorry, I..."

"I never...I hate..." He started to try and force out. "She's everything to me. I didn't want to hurt her."

"Well, look at it this way, if you didn't, then there was a much higher chance she'd have been hurt by those gangsters." Mike replied. "I mean, if they thought she wasn't who she said she was..."

"That's not the point Mike." Kevin interrupted him, before shaking his head dejectedly. "You just don't understand."

"I know how much it pains me any time I see Emily hurt." Mike told him. "When it happens in training, and I'm the one that hurts her..."

"Accidents happen Mike, that's part of training!" Kevin snapped at him. "When was the last time you deliberately slapped Emily across the face as hard as you could?"

"Well..."

"When was the last time you punched her on purpose?" He continued to press on. Mike couldn't imagine what he was feeling. Before he could ask after him any further though, he saw some movement.

The trucks carrying the gang members pulled into the centre of the shopping plaza, at which Mia called her driver to come to a complete stop. All the other trucks did likewise as she disembarked.

"Kev, she's here." Mike told him. "He's here."

"Alright, what gives?" One of the gang members called out, coming over to her as they looked around, unable to see the purpose behind this stop. "What is this?"

"This is what they would call a trap!" Mia told them, pulling out her Samuraizer and morphing. "Come on out guys!"

The Rangers all morphed and burst out of the shops, surrounding the crooks. They all dropped their weapons and scattered.

"Right, let's round them up quickly!" Antonio screamed, activating his symbol power and ploughing through the mobsters, taking them down as the military vehicles started to arrive to help with the arrests. "Something tells me Jayden will need us!"

Over at the site of his battle, Jayden was indeed finding himself under pressure. His Nighlock self was far more powerful than he had imagined. He was facing himself, one that had every bit of knowledge and experience he did, but it was backed up by the destructive might of Urumasa.

The Nighlock struck him with a hard slash, sending him to the ground. As Jayden tried to get up, he stepped on his wrist, preventing him from retrieving his Spin Sword. He just started to laugh.

"This? This is what I became without Urumasa?" He taunted him. "So much for the strength your friends give you."

He raised Urumasa over his head, preparing to strike.

"It depends on the friends!" Scott called out. "Street Sabre Strike!"

The Nighlock only just turned around in time to see Scott blurring towards him, and the Street Sabre smashed into him sending him flying off the roof, into the centre of the race track below. Scott turned to Jayden and offered him a hand.

"I thought you were meant to stay at the Garage." Jayden remarked, taking the hand and hoisting himself up.

"Can you honestly tell me you would have done anything different?" Scott asked him. Jayden just laughed.

"No, I guess not." He replied. "How's the head?"

"It'll feel better when we take this guy down." Scott told him, looking to Jayden. "I know vengeance is wrong, and I can't guarantee that if I get the opportunity I won't kill him, but if you want my help..."

"I'd be honoured." Jayden replied. "Now, let's do this!"

Scott and Jayden both leapt down, landing on the grass in the centre of the race track, finding the Nighlock just pulling himself back to his feet. He looked to the two Rangers standing before him and started to laugh.

"Well, I guess this just makes things a little more interesting." He growled, preparing a guard. "So, who's leading off?"

The two Red Rangers looked to each other, before charging him together.

Back at the shopping plaza, the Rangers were helping the military deal with the last of the gang members, bringing them down and bundling them into transports to be taken to headquarters for processing. As they finished up, the RPM Rangers all powered down.

"Uh, guys, you...don't need to worry about identities here." Dillon told them. "No one knows who you are anyway."

"Well, that's not exactly true is it?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, I mean...there are other us..es um...other..."

"There are other versions of us here." Antonio clarified, helping Mike explain the confusing situation.

"If someone saw us, it might not cause us any problems when we go home, but it might just cause some hassle for those guys." Kevin agreed. "After all, we wouldn't want them having to deal with that kind of publicity when it's not down to them."

"I guess you have a point." Summer replied. "Just wait until we get out of sight."

As they boarded one of the transports and the doors closed, the Samurai took the opportunity to de morph out of sight. Mia sat next to Kevin. As she put her arm around him, Kevin just looked away from her.

"Kevin?" She asked. He kept looking away from her, unable to see her this way. Mia looked to Mike, who just gave her a look that told her what she needed to know. Kevin was indeed upset about the way things had happened. She just pulled in close to him, holding him warmly as the transport began the journey back to The Garage.


	11. Jayden Vs Jayden and Scott

Jayden felt Urumasa's agonising bite as his Nighlock self continued to fight both of the Red Rangers with a barrage that was nothing short of relentless. Were it not for the power of his Ranger suit, he would likely have lost his life, but as he tumbled backwards, he felt a burning pain in the ribs as he tumbled and slid away from the crimson armoured Nighlock.

It turned its attention solely to Scott, who very quickly faltered and started to back up under its assault. The creature hammered home attacks with the cursed blade, which he struggled to block, letting a few through, feeling every one slamming into him like a car crash. Eventually, he could take no more, and the Street Sabre was smashed aside, before he was kicked, almost thirty feet, smashing through a railing into the track itself.

The Nighlock Jayden just looked between the two of them, swinging Urumasa around skilfully, before standing, catching his breath. This Jayden knew exactly what his other self did. Never falter, never show weakness, no matter the pain. He had already endured a few attacks, and some of them had affected him. Only the power offered to him by Urumasa and his Nighlock form kept him on his feet. He was breathing heavily, the exertion of facing two of the strongest warriors he ever had telling on him, but he stood tall, shoulders high, preparing for them to return to the fight.

"So, this is everything the two Red Rangers can offer?" He asked them, before gesturing to Jayden. "This is what I became without Urumasa?"

"You became someone who has something to fight for!" Jayden responded.

"Something to lose you mean." He scoffed in response. Samurai Jayden looked to Scott.

"How are you holding up?" He asked.

"I'm still here." Scott assured him, hauling himself back to his feet. "Any ideas?"

"I have one." Jayden told him. "Burst Attack."

"I'm up for it." Scott told him. Jayden just looked to him, their eyes connecting. Beneath the helmet, he nodded as Jayden slipped a red and a white disk onto his spin sword.

"Ready?" Jayden asked, smiling beneath his helmet. Scott just nodded, preparing into a ready position. The Nighlock Jayden also readied a guard, staring him down, but keeping an eye on his other self. "NOW!"

Scott suddenly turned towards the Nighlock Jayden and rushed him, powering up his burst attack, and rushing towards Jayden. He turned, blocking the attack with his sword, holding Scott back.

"What's this?" The Nighlock Jayden asked. "You're attacking each other?"

The other Jayden had something he didn't though, experience, and more importantly, experience with others. A thought had occurred to him, one that he had communicated wordlessly to Scott, to whom he had spoken quite a bit. He remembered one of the battles Antonio had been involved in, one against Arachnitor, where he had bid the others to attack him, only to redirect it, adding his own power to the mix and directing it at the mutant Nighlock.

He struggled to hold it, his arms and legs shaking as he struggled to contain the power of Scott's attack, and the temperature building was incredible, causing him, the Fire Samurai, to sweat intensely beneath his suit. Setting the two disks spinning, adding his Fire Storm to the mix, he nodded to Scott, at which both of them turned sharply, casting the energy ball at the Nighlock.

The other Jayden was caught unawares, and could only pull Urumasa in front of himself in a vain attempt to block; however, it was much like trying to stop a freight train with a sheet of steel. Even with the blade in the way, such was the power of the blast; he was picked up off his feet, smashing backward almost a hundred feet, straight through the barrier, and the paddock, right into the stands dozens of rows back. Both Red Rangers swayed a little, feeling their power levels sinking with the exertion.

"Wow, that burst attack of yours really is strong." Jayden complimented him as Scott retrieved his Street Sabre. Scott just nodded, looking to him breathlessly.

"That Spin Sword of yours packs quite a punch too." He replied. "So...um...do you think he's...?"

"Scott..."

"No, I just mean, do you think it's over?" He asked. Jayden just looked to him, smiling. "I want to finish him, but if he's done, then let the military deal with him. I don't have the right to..."

Just then, the splintered wood of the stands started to shift. Jayden and Scott both turned towards the wreckage as it moved, raising and falling, before finally a red armoured fist smashed through it. They moved closer, keeping their weapons at the ready as the Nighlock Jayden pulled himself free, tumbling to the sand of the race track. He pulled himself to his feet, and the face portion of his Nighlock armour peeled back, revealing his bruised face. He coughed, before spitting out a large gob of blood, looking to them with a smirk through blood stained teeth as he clutched his ribs.

"Now, that was impressive." He stated as he lifted Urumasa. "How about we try for round three?"

"Still have something left in the tank?" Jayden asked, feeling his arms trembling with the strain of even holding the weight of the Spin Sword as he confronted his other self.

"You know it." Scott replied, just as the low energy warning flashed up on his helmet. "This guy's just another monster. We can take him!"

Back at the Garage, Kevin was in a bedroom by himself, lying in the darkness. He had broken off once the others had gone to help process the prisoners. He just couldn't face hanging around any longer. He barely noticed as the door opened, flooding light into the room.

"I kind of missed you at Central Command." Mia told him. He didn't bother to turn over as she came in, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Kevin..."

"I'm trying to rest." He told her. She just smiled.

"You know, you never used to object to having me next to you." She commented.

"Mia, please..."

"Summer and Gemma cleaned me up." She told him. "It doesn't look as bad now, and I can assure you..."

"Mia, please just go away." He whispered. She could see how badly upset he was, she had seen it from the moment he had hit her. Even though she asked him to do it, even though it was a part of the plan, an essential part, she knew that he was having a hard time accepting it. He hadn't even been able to look her in the eye since then.

"No." She said gently, but abruptly. "No Kevin, I'm not leaving you. We need to talk about this."

"Mia, I don't want..."

"Look at me Kevin." She told him. He just shook his head.

"I can't." He told her.

"Kevin, just look at me damn it!" She snapped. He eventually turned over and looked up at her.

She had taken off her shirt, letting him see the full extent of what he had done to her. Her arms and shoulders were covered in bruises. Her rib cage was a mass of discoloured flesh in varying shades of red, yellow and purple from where he had punched her to replicate the effect of her counterpart's injuries. Her face had a couple of cuts, the most pronounced above her right brow and on the right side of her lip, but her left eye was swollen, and had blackened by now. He felt sick to his stomach seeing her like that, and even worse knowing that he had been the one to do it. She cradled his face softly as he tried to turn away.

"Look at me Kevin." She told him. "I wanted to apologise."

"Apologise?" He asked, looking at her like she was mad. She just nodded.

"It wasn't fair of me to ask you to do this." She told him. "I knew it would hurt you, I knew you would beat yourself up over it, but if I knew it would do this to you..."

"Mia, you're the one that's hurt." He told her.

"This'll heal." She reminded him. "Dr. K ran some...thing over my ribcage. I didn't understand what she said, but apparently it helps fractures heal more quickly. You already know Mentor Ji will have remedies that'll help with the bruises, and it isn't like this is my first time getting my ass kicked."

"But Mia..."

"If I'd known how much this would hurt, I'd never have asked it of you." She assured him. "So, I think it's only fair that you know why I asked you."

He pulled himself up into a seated position, turning to face her as she moved into a more comfortable position.

"I needed someone that would be able to replicate the injuries, but that wouldn't hurt me enough that I couldn't fight. I needed someone whose control I could trust completely, so that already limited me to the Samurai." She began to explain. "I also needed someone roughly the same height and weight as one of the soldiers so that ruled out Emily."

"OK." He commented. Mia then just looked to him.

"I knew you'd never be able to accept any of them doing it." She told him. "Although you knew it was part of the plan, I know you. Would you really have been able to stay friends with Mike or Antonio if they had done this to me? How about Jayden? Can you honestly say you'd have looked at Jayden the same way? Been able to follow him unquestioningly if he had done this to me?"

Kevin hated to admit it, but in a lot of ways, he could see that she had a point. If anyone else had done it, he would have wanted to kill them. Even if it was someone he trusted implicitly, one of his best friends like Mike or Jayden, he would have always hated them for it. He hated himself for his part in her pain, if it had been someone else, he would have certainly taken issue. She held his hand to her swollen cheek tenderly.

"It had to be you." She told him. "I just wish it didn't hurt you so much, and I hope you can forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive." He told her, forcing a little smile. "You are the most amazing person in the world."

"That's just the way I feel about you." She replied, moving over the bed to kiss him softly, bearing him to the mattress. She parted a little way from him, smiling. "I think we're missing something aren't we?"

He took a second to realise what she meant, before reaching across to his denims, pulling her engagement ring out of his pocket. He turned back to her, finding her holding her hand out, waiting for him to slide the ring back where it belonged. As he did so, she admired it, biting her lip a little.

"You know, this dimension does have certain privileges." She told him. Kevin just looked at her.

"Like what?" He asked her. She picked up a hand set, clicking a button, at which the door slid shut and locked.

"Privacy." She replied, pushing him back down. Kevin looked to her a little stunned.

"Uh...Mia, what about...?"

"I have it covered." She replied, pressing something into his hand. Kevin just smiled as she slid into bed next to him and pulled the covers over herself.

Meanwhile, in the main room of the Garage, the others were all watching the three way battle on the screen. Dr. K in particular was frantic, checking on all the systems in Scott's Ranger Rig.

"This is bad, this is very bad!" She called out. "All his systems are failing; all of them are dangerously low."

"It looks like Jayden's feeling it too." Mike remarked.

"But what can we do from here?" She asked. "Even with the vehicles, you'll never get there in time..."

"Maybe we can re-route power from the other rigs." Flynn suggested. "You know, give him a little jump start."

"I think we can work something." Gemma added, sliding a chair over to the computer beside Dr. K. "It should help."

"What about Jayden?" Antonio asked.

"I think we might be able to manage something too." Emily replied, pulling out her Samuraiser. "You remember how Antonio had you revive the ClawZord?"

"That's it!" Antonio called out, hugging her. "Mike, are you ready?"

"I guess I have to be." Mike replied, pulling out his Samuraizer. "Alright Antonio, on your lead!"

Back at the Race Track, Scott and Jayden were being beaten from pillar to post as their power started to fail them. The Nighlock Jayden, while injured, was simply too strong. His blade smashed into Scott, sending him into a heap by the side wall. Jayden didn't last much longer, before ending up crashing through the roof of a paddock a long way from the Nighlock.

"This has been fun." He rasped as they struggled to stumble back onto the track. "Unfortunately, even the greatest duel must come to an end."

Just then, a power symbol flew into the arena, and hit Jayden. He felt power racing through him, flooding through every aching muscle, lending him strength. He stood up straight, collecting his Spin Sword. Scott also leapt to his feet, readying his Street Sabre.

"It looks like our friends came through with a little power boost." Jayden stated.

"I didn't hear a bell." Scott answered as they prepared. Just then, a hail of fireballs fell into the stadium, landing periodically. Shortly afterwards, she appeared, the one that they had only seen in the recording from Scott's earlier battle. Jayden's grip on his Spin Sword almost failed as he saw her before him. She was a little shorter than him, but wearing the same pattern helmet, and the same colour uniform. Her costume had a skirt, and she was carrying a Spin Sword. She looked to the Nighlock Jayden who just stared at her.

"What is this?" He asked. The stranger didn't answer, instead pulling out a little black device. Jayden and Scott were both blinded by a huge flash of light, but when it dissipated, they saw her standing, wearing a long, flowing white coat over her Ranger Suit. She was holding a black device in her free hand, which she clipped to the back of her Spin Sword's handle. Jayden just looked to his own Spin Sword, seeing a couple of grooves on it that he hadn't really paid much mind to before.

"So that's what these are for." He murmured.

Powering up her sword, the mysterious Red Ranger surged forward, letting out a savage yell, and bringing it across the Nighlock. He tried in vain to block, but his armour, and Urumasa, completely shattered into millions of fragments. They watched as the Nighlock Spirit was ripped from him, disappearing into the Netherworld, presumably to the Dark Zone where it belonged. As the fragments of Urumasa came to rest, they stopped glowing, and their energy dissipated. The Cursed Blade had been completely destroyed.

The new arrival twirled her sword around, tapping it on the back to symbolically shake off the 'blood', before replacing it in her belt as the Nighlock Jayden fell to his knees. Jayden just approached.

"You." He whispered. "Are you...?"

He didn't get an answer; she just leapt out of the arena, leaving Jayden and Scott alone with the defeated opponent. Jayden saw Scott de-morphing, mopping some blood from his mouth with his wrist. The other Jayden looked up to him, pulling some hair, matted with sweat and blood from his eyes and laughing.

"So." He commented. "I guess this is where I get what I deserve. Go ahead. Give me what's coming to me."

The Samurai Jayden de-morphed, clutching his ribs as he watched on. He knew that no one would blame Scott, that no one would say that he didn't deserve to take his revenge. He could see the look in his eyes, the cold, hard look that indicated that he wanted to do it. He could even see him holding up a fist, preparing to strike. He prepared to move in, but Scott instead just shoved him over with his foot.

"No, you're broken already." He replied. "I don't need the karma of your murder on my conscience. Corinth Military can pick up the pieces."

"But..."

"I don't need your murder on my karma." Scott interrupted him. "I'm not like you, and I'm damned if I'm going to end up like you. Hicks will see that justice is done."

The Samurai Jayden just smiled; glad to see that Scott was able to put his anger aside. He was happy that things had turned out that way.

As Scott turned away, the other Jayden looked around, finding a piece of timber that had splintered into a sharp point, and gripped it. He ran forward, ramming it into Scott's back as hard as he could with a huge yell.

The other Jayden ran forward, grabbing his counterpart, only to be struck hard in the face as he swung around. The evil Jayden tried to stab him too, but the Samurai Jayden had a little more strength left, and grabbed his arm, twisting it around and ramming it back. He saw the evil Jayden's eyes bulge in his head as the point went in. He looked down to the stake, which had blood leaking down it onto his hands. He saw the angle it had gone in, and where it had entered. He knew that it would have at least hit a lung, probably his heart.

"Thank you." The Evil Jayden whispered, before falling to the ground. Scott ran over, but Jayden didn't need to check. He already knew what he would find.

"I'm sorry, I..."

"You didn't have a choice." Scott assured him, clutching at his back. "We gave him every chance."

"How are you?" Jayden asked.

"Hey, he tried to stab me through a leather jacket." Scott reminded him. "It hurts, but I'm sure I'll be fine. I'll let Dr. K look over me."

He then looked to Jayden.

"So, who was that?" He asked, referring to the other Red Ranger. Jayden just held him up, beginning to help him from the arena, looking away from him.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Jayden told him. Scott looked to him; a little unconvinced, but right now, all he cared about was getting home and getting his injuries looked at.


	12. Secrets and Relationships

The following morning, Kevin woke up, finding Mia lying, looking at him with a little smile on her face.

"This has to be the first time I can remember you sleeping in." She whispered gently, looking over him. Kevin could do nothing but smile dreamily at her. Although she still carried the marks from what he had done to her, what had happened the previous night had washed a lot of it from his mind. It had taken a lot of things from his mind. He just looked to her as he reached up, stroking her hair softly.

"I guess I was tired." He replied.

"Well, you were pretty energetic." She commented. "So, about last night..."

He pulled her in, kissing her warmly, before looking her straight in the eyes.

"It was the most amazing night of my life." He told her. "I just hope..."

"Don't worry about it. It was wonderful for me too." She told him, pulling the covers around them more tightly as she held him to her.

"Mia, it was..." He started to say, before trying to think of something to say. "Um...it was my...uh..."

"Your first?" She asked him. He just nodded in response. He obviously had wanted to let her know that part, but part way through; he must have gotten a thought about it. He knew about Mia's history. He knew about her and Aaron. He had obviously thought twice about it.

"I'm so glad it was you." He told her. She just pulled his arms around him, settling into his arms comfortably.

"I love you." She told him. Kevin just held her tightly.

"I love you too." He replied.

Out in the main room though, Jayden arrived to find the others getting ready to head back out to work, while Dr. K was looking over Scott again, re-binding his wounds. He saw them all getting ready.

"Well guys, the word from the justice department is that they're processing all the prisoners." He assured them. "A lot of people will be spending a lot of time in prison."

"Where are Kevin and Mia?" Antonio asked.

"Uh...I think they might be having a day off." Jayden commented. Emily and Mike just looked to each other with wicked smirks on their faces. "Guys, Mia did take a pretty hard beating last night. I think they just want to rest up."

"Yeah, because that's what they're calling it now." Mike drawled casually. Jayden just rolled his eyes.

"Just...try not to be...well...you!" He warned him. "I think after everything we can cut them a little slack don't you?"

"Anyway, isn't it about time you were heading off?" Antonio asked. "I know the agricultural corp tends to prefer early starts."

"He has a point you know." Mike commented. "Alright, we'll be back later."

As Emily and Mike left, Jayden looked to Antonio.

"So, what are your plans for today?" He asked.

"Well, I'm helping Gem, Gemma and Dr. K with the readouts from your battle." He told him with a little smile. Jayden could tell that he was eager to get his hands on the superior systems available at the Garage. "We got a butt load of data and recordings from Scott's suit!"

"Uh...do we really need to analyse that?" Jayden asked. "I mean, it's all over with now. The gangsters are all dead or in jail, the other Mia's in custody, and I now rank as probably the only person who can honestly say he has killed himself and lived to tell the tale."

Antonio just sucked his teeth hearing this. Jayden was trying to make light of the situation, but when all was said and done, Jayden had killed a man. It was justifiable homicide, and so he wasn't going to face any charges, but it was the first time Jayden had ever personally ended a human life. He knew Jayden better than anyone, and he knew that it had to be playing on his mind that he had killed someone. That it was himself, or at least, his other self, just made the whole situation more bizarre.

"Well, the thing is, we really want to know more about what happened." He told him. "I mean, our mystery friend did show up again."

"Well, obviously she didn't want to hang around for tea and biscuits." Jayden reminded him. "She ran off without a word!"

"According to what you said, she showed an incredible amount of power." Antonio reminded him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe this will give us some indication as to what gave her that power."

As he left, heading into the lab, Scott watched him go, waiting until the soundproof door closed, before turning back to Jayden, who was just sitting staring into space.

"Alright, so spill it." Scott told him. Jayden just looked to him, looking confused.

"Sorry?"

"You know more about this girl than you're telling us." Scott put down bluntly.

"Scott..."

"Don't even try to lie to me Jayden, I've interviewed more crooks than I can count, and I know when someone's lying." He interrupted him harshly, pulling on his t-shirt. "I'll give it to you, you're good, you've clearly had practice lying, but it's been painfully clear since last night you know exactly who this is."

Jayden was dumbstruck by what Scott had said, and he couldn't imagine how to extract himself from this situation.

"Well thank you for confirming it." Scott told him. "Now, are you going to tell me, or do I bring them in right now?"

"No, you can't!" Jayden rushed out. Scott stopped short. "Look, you can't tell anyone..."

"That might fly with you, but I love my wife." Scott told him sharply. "We don't keep secrets from each other."

"Fine, but just...wait until we're gone." Jayden replied. "Please?"

"Alright then." Scott told him, settling into his chair. "This better be good."

Jayden just took a deep breath as he prepared to tell him the secret, he hadn't even told the man he loved.

Back in their home dimension, Spike was just rounding the corner, arriving outside the front door of the High School for his first day. He took a moment to look up at the building, taking it in for the first time in the daylight. He got a goofy little smile on his face as he considered it. It was the first time he had gone to school since he had been pulled out by his parents a couple of years previously. He had been glad at first, but he had also known that there was something he was missing by not being around kids his own age.

His uncle Bulk had wanted to drop him off, but Spike had insisted that he wanted to walk by himself. The last thing he wanted going back to school was to look like one of those kids that needed to hold someone's hand going to and from school. He was trying to make an impression on the other kids, and create as few waves as possible. He was grateful that his uncle had accepted his point of view, and had allowed him to go on his own.

He was shoved rather unceremoniously as a couple of bigger kids made their way inside, but he just shrugged it off. He knew that a downside of coming back to school was that he was bound to get hassle. If nothing else, he was 'the new kid', and 'the new kid' always got victimised and hazed by the bullies. He was a lot more thick skinned, and he knew he had to take it if he wanted to actually be around other kids. He had insisted that given Serena's guidance, he was a lot stronger, and ready to take it, and now he had to back that up.

He made his way inside, looking around the halls, and finding himself immediately lost. The school was a lot bigger than he had anticipated. He eventually found some familiar faces. Vicky saw him and smiled, bouncing excitedly and waving him over frantically.

"Spike!" She called out as he came over. "I was hoping I'd see you!"

"Yeah, I was hoping to see you too." He replied, fishing a letter out of his pocket. "I'm meant to go to the office to get my schedule, but..."

"Everyone gets lost in this place for the first couple of weeks." She interrupted him, grabbing his jacket. "Come on. I'll show you the way!"

As she took him, Spike saw all the stuff he expected to. Groups of girls crowded around, chatting and casting judgemental gazes at anyone not in their cliques, guys standing around, pretending not to care about anything, some kids playing catch, others listening to music.

He stopped as he almost bumped into Vicky.

"Uh...maybe you should find another way around." She suggested. He looked up ahead to see a group of big kids, guys who looked like they could shift cars without breaking a sweat, standing surrounding a couple of other kids. Spike recognised them; he had met them on the hill when he went sledging with them weeks earlier. One of them was Jimmy, Vicky's little brother. He was a small, scrawny kid, with a thick, red sweater, and glasses so thick that they looked like they could see through time. He had red hair like his sister, and was heavily freckled.

The other was Mal, a kid the same age as them, who was almost as tall as the bullies, but built like a well-chewed chicken leg. He had a thick, green anorak, and blonde hair, with a gaunt, pale face. One of the kids was holding him against a wall as the others played keep-away with one of Jimmy's books.

"You know what you have to do to get it back Jimmy." One of the kids teased him. "Give us your lunch money!"

"But I don't have any!" He whined again, jumping frantically as the book sailed back and forth over his head. "I told you, I don't get lunch money. Mom sent me with sandwiches!"

"Well, I guess you don't want this then." One of the big kids responded, catching the book, before launching it into a nearby trash can. Jimmy was about to run to get it out, but another of the senior kids tripped him as he went, sending him face-first to the floor. The trash can wasn't far, so Spike went over to it, picking the book out.

"Put it back kid." One of the seniors warned him. Spike just ignored him, helping Jimmy up, and handing him the book.

"Here." He told him. The seniors released Mal, and started to round on Spike.

"Looks like it's time to take out the trash guys." One of them commented, cracking his knuckles. Spike gulped and started to back away, looking around for escape routes. Even with his training, he remembered the first thing that Serena taught him about Martial Arts. If you don't have to fight, then don't. It didn't matter if he was the best Martial Artist that ever lived, four guys twice his size was a tall order to expect anyone to handle. She had always said that it didn't matter how fast, strong or good a person was, there were no certainties in a fight other than they would be hurt, and as such, it was always better to find a way not to fight.

"Dr. Phelps!" Vicky called out, seeing a man walking behind them. The seniors all immediately backed into the walls, and started to act casually. She presented Spike to him. "This is the new student, Spike Skullovitch. I was just showing him to your office!"

Dr. Phelps was a well-dressed man, wearing a classic, dark blue, pin-striped, three-piece suit, with the chain from a gold railway watch hanging between the jacket's front pockets. He had a dark red tie, carrying the crest from some university, but Spike didn't get a good enough look to tell which. He was, himself, a white-haired man with horn-rimmed glasses. He had a few wrinkles on his friendly looking face, but nothing too serious, and he had a warm smile. He looked to Spike, and came forward.

"Ah, Mr. Skullovitch." He replied. "I was hoping to see you..."

"Thanks." He replied, as much to Vicky as to the head. "And it's Spike by the way."

"Oh. I thought that was a nickname." He stated. Spike could see the seniors suppressing a laugh.

"No, it's my birth name." Spike assured him. Jimmy, Vicky and Mal all fell in behind as Dr. Phelps led him towards the office, taking this opportunity when the headmaster was around and the seniors couldn't harm them to leave.

"Well, forgive my confusion." He answered. "I'll just get you your schedule from the office. I believe that Vicky here is in your classes. I'm sure she won't mind showing you around."

"No sir Dr. Phelps." She replied, grabbing Spike's arm. Spike felt his face flushing a little.

"Well, I hope you find your time here at Central High School." He told him. "With no false modesty, I dare say the best High School in the city."

"Thanks." Spike replied, looking around his friends. "I'm looking forward to class."

Just then, the bell rang. He looked to Jimmy and Mal.

"Well, run along!" Be beckoned them, shooing them away with his hand. They both took to heel, running off for their first class. "I'll sort both of you out with a tardy slip to ensure you don't get into any trouble. I think you'll find that the staff here are very fair that way."

As he led them to the office, Spike took a deep breath, trying to slow his pounding heart back to a normal rate. It was a stark reminder of why he was taken out of school, but he was determined not to run at the first sign of trouble.

At the Shiba House, Stephen was in the main room, looking in a full-length mirror, dressing in a suit for a job interview. It had taken a while for him to find anything, but now some of his applications for work were beginning to bear fruit, and he was finally getting interviews. The downside of his decision to leave the Tengen Gate and assume his new identity was that he knew that he now needed to find a job. While he had a home at the Shiba House, and they would not see him go hungry, the fact was that he couldn't expect them to support him forever.

He felt a pair of arms wrapping around his waist, and saw Serena's face over his shoulder. She was smiling broadly, and was wearing a full-length dressing gown. She kissed his neck gently.

"Serena..."

"Do you have to go?" She asked him with a mischievous little pout. "It's so much nicer back in our room."

"Don't you have a lesson or something?" He asked her. She just shook her head.

"Spike's starting school today." She reminded him. "I'm going round after he gets home. So, we have a lot of time for a long lie."

"Serena, it's my first interview." He reminded her.

"There'll be others." She responded, turning him around to face her. She pulled him in, kissing him deeply. As he came in, Mentor Ji just cleared his throat, causing them both to jump.

"Don't mind me; I was just looking for some coffee." He told them. Serena and Stephen just looked to each other, at which Stephen gave her a quick peck, before finishing tying his tie.

"I'll tell you how it goes." He told her. "Wish me luck."

"You know it." She replied, biting her nails a little as he left. As the door closed, she made her way to the kitchen counter, where Ji was pouring two cups of coffee.

"Since when did you start drinking coffee?" She asked him. "I thought you were a tea kind of guy."

"I find I need the energy since the others are away." He told her, sliding a cup to her. She held her dressing gown closed as she took a sip. "Serena, about Stephen..."

"We really appreciate everything." She told him. "I know it's not ideal..."

"Indeed, I would say it is anything but." He replied. She just looked to him a little confused. "Serena, I know that you and Stephen have faced a difficult time, and being young and in love is a powerful thing..."

"What are you trying to say?" She asked him.

"This is not just your home." He reminded her, gesturing to her attire. "I would appreciate it if you did not treat it as such and showed a little more subtlety."

"Mentor..."

"You are both happy, and for that, I am also happy." He interrupted her. "However, perhaps you could appreciate that not all of us want to see the floor show and be a little more discrete."

"Mentor, I really don't think..."

"Mia and Kevin are engaged." He put down flatly. "Mike and Emily are together, and Jayden and Antonio...well, I am hopeful for them. The thing is, all of them show restraint."

"But..."

"I do not mean to demean or insult you, and I am not asking you not to spend time together." He clarified, looking into her eyes. "However, the others will be back eventually, and you know that what you and Stephen take for granted is something that the others are putting on hold. Perhaps being so obvious would just be...rubbing their faces in it?"

Serena was about to answer, but she stopped short as she realised he had a point. Kevin and Mia were engaged. As much as she blocked the mental image from her mind, her little sister had been with Mike for a long time, and at her age, it was only natural that would have crossed her mind. The Rangers had all put their own desires on hold for the greater good. It did seem like it would be a little bit of a crappy thing to do to flaunt her relationship in their faces while they were making do with romantic movies and cuddles.

"I'm sorry." She replied. "I'll just...I'll go and change."

"That would be an idea." He agreed. As she went, he took a gulp of coffee, recoiling at the bitter taste.

"God I hope they get back soon." He remarked. "I don't think I could live on this stuff."


	13. An Interesting Lunch

Scott just sat, staring blankly into space as he tried to digest what Jayden had just told him. The Red Samurai Ranger just looked to him, becoming more nervous as time went on.

"So that's the big secret?" He asked. "That's what you've been keeping from them?"

"Yeah, it is." Jayden replied quietly, nodding a little dejectedly. "They can't..."

"Don't you think they have a right to know?" He asked him, rounding on Jayden.

"You can't tell them." Jayden told him. "You swore you wouldn't."

"I won't, but you should!" Scott replied sharply. "Jayden, they risk their lives on a daily basis for you. They gave up their lives without a second thought for you. Don't you think this is a pretty shitty way to repay them?"

"They can't know!" Jayden told him. "It's vital that they don't. If I told them..."

"Are you worried that they'd turn their back on their duties?" Scott asked him. "Maybe they would feel better about their decision if they had all the information and could make an informed choice."

"Or maybe telling them this now would only mean they would stop trusting me." Jayden answered him. "Please, the world, our world, relies on them. I can't risk..."

"You should tell them." Scott told him. "It's not my place to blow your secret, but I'm not happy about it. If you expect people to risk their lives for you, at least they should know why."

"I never asked them to risk themselves for me." Jayden reminded him.

"You didn't have to." Scott answered. "That's loyalty."

Just then, Antonio came back into the room with Gem, Gemma and Dr. K. He had a huge grin on his face as he came across, sitting next to Jayden.

"So, what's the verdict?" Jayden asked him.

"We still have no idea who our friend is," he told him excitedly, "but I figured out what gave her that power."

"What?" Scott asked him. Antonio just grinned.

"She had the Black Box." He told them. Jayden's mouth hung open.

"But..."

"Things are different here. Obviously the Black Box was completed here." Antonio told him.

"We also got accurate energy readings from the battle site." Dr. K told him. "When she struck, all traces of energy from Urumasa dissipated."

"What does that mean?" Jayden asked her.

"Antonio told us that the fragment of Urumasa you possessed continued to show signs of activity after it was broken." Gem explained. "Our Urumasa didn't."

"It was destroyed." Gemma concluded.

"So..."

"That means it's possible." Jayden gasped as he looked to them. "It's possible to destroy Urumasa completely."

"Exactly." Antonio stated with a huge smile. "I don't know about you, but I for one think this deserves a celebration."

"I guess it is almost lunch time." Scott said with a shrug. "And I think I know the perfect place."

"Where?" Jayden asked him.

"It's a surprise." Scott said with a little smirk as he gathered up his jacket. "Come on guys, whose hungry?"

In another part of Corinth, Emily and Mike were with their counterparts, showing them the effect their symbol power was having on assisting the crops in the new fields to grow. In the short couple of days they had been working, the fields had already come close to their first harvest.

"So, let's see you do something." Mike said to Michael as he gestured to the crop. Michael just looked at him blankly.

"But, I thought you were here to..."

"We're not going to be here much longer." Emily reminded them. "Look, Mike and I were talking, and we both kind of thought that maybe if the two of you used more of your symbol power..."

"We don't want any trouble." Em put down flatly, looking away sharply. "We just want to be left alone. We want peace, we want..."

"No one's hassled us." Mike reminded her. "If anything, people are grateful for our help."

"Maybe if you stepped up your involvement a little, then we would be able to go home a little quicker." Emily suggested. "This is your world; you're already working to help rebuild it. Why not do all you can?"

"We just don't want to end up with everyone relying on us." Michel explained.

"They already kind of do." Mike reminded them. "Perhaps it's time the two of you just got the credit you deserve."

Michael looked to his wife, who just looked back and shrugged.

"I guess we have already been using our powers." She answered. "Maybe we should see what the limits are."

Michael just smiled and looked back to their Samurai counterparts.

"Alright, show us what you've been doing." Michael told them, pulling out a paintbrush. "If we're going to be taking over, I guess it's time we started learning."

In their home dimension, the bell rang at the high school, signalling that it was lunchtime. Spike followed Vicky as she made her way towards the dining hall.

"The canteen food isn't great, but I've seen worse." Vicky told him. "Personally I bring my own stuff..."

"Uncle Bulk gave me a packed punch too." Spike told her, pulling a Tupperware out of his bag.

"Well, I guess that means we don't have to wait in line then." She commented as they arrived in the dining room. Jimmy and Mal were already in the dining room, waiting for them, saving a couple of seats.

"So, how was your first morning?" Mal asked as Spike sat down. He smiled.

"It wasn't too bad." Spike told him. "English is kind of a drag, but science looks like it'll be fun."

"Well, you still have the joys of Mr Thompson's gym class to look forward to." Jimmy replied, with the faintest hint of a shudder.

"Jimmy hates gym." Vicky explained somewhat redundantly. "He says Mr. Thompson picks on him."

"He does pick on me!" Jimmy protested.

"He picks on everyone." She stated, before looking back to Spike. "Everyone except the football team anyway."

"Most of the school's funding comes through the athletics department." Mal explained. "Most of the donations come from people donating to the football team, so they get kind of a golden ticket to act how they want."

"I didn't think stuff like that happened anymore." Spike remarked. "I thought that was all just on TV."

"Trust me; the football team are golden here." Mal assured him. "One time, a few of them asked me to do homework for them. When I refused, and some of them missed the game, Mr Thompson ended up making the next lesson dodge ball."

Spike didn't need this part explained to him; dodge ball was still an easy form of victimisation in schools. It was essentially modern stoning. Considering the fact that a lot of the kids on the football team were already close to two hundred pounds, someone the size of Jimmy or Mal really didn't stand much of a chance of getting away unscathed.

"Are you sure that wasn't just coincidence?" Spike asked him.

"He said that I lacked school spirit." Mal told him. "What do you suppose he meant by that?"

"Oh great, here they come." Jimmy remarked, seeing half a dozen members of the football team coming over. A couple of them were seniors, while the other four were juniors, but all of them were significantly larger than all four of the group. One of them looked darkly at them.

"You're sitting at our table." He stated abruptly. Spike just rolled his eyes.

"We were here first." He commented.

"Look new kid, maybe you didn't hear me." He replied. "We want to sit here. Take a hike!"

"Listen Brad..."

"Heard of me have you?" He asked. Spike just shook his head.

"Your name's stitched into your letterman jacket genius." He responded sarcastically.

"Spike, let's just go." Vicky whispered to him. "We really don't need any trouble."

Spike could see the others closing in, and figured she had a point. He just gathered up is possessions, as the others did likewise, and got up, leaving the table. The jocks all took a seat as he and his friends moved outside, finding a quiet spot to sit.

"Don't worry about it; they always throw their weight around." Vicky assured him. "It's best just to stay out their way."

"We don't bring lunch money anymore because they just kept taking it." Jimmy told him. Spike just sighed.

"This is the kind of crap my parents took me out of school to get away from." Spike responded as he pulled out a submarine sandwich.

"You're not going to quit are you?" Vicky asked. Spike just shook his head.

"I came back because I didn't want to run anymore." He told her. "If I run now, I'll always be running."

Just then, a senior walked past, smacking Jimmy's lunch out of his hands onto the ground, ruining it.

"Sorry." He stated somewhat less than sincerely. Jimmy just sighed. Seeing him, Spike took pity on him and tore his sub in half, handing half of it to Jimmy.

"My Uncle Bulk always makes way too much." He told him. "He seems to forget that I'm not as big an eater as him."

"Thanks." Jimmy replied, taking the sandwich. Spike smiled as his friends started on their lunch. Although his first day had already shown him that his expectations of High School had pretty much been met from his memory of the last time he had attended school, having a small group of friends showed him that he wasn't facing it alone.

Back in Corinth, Jayden, Scott, Antonio, Gem and Gemma arrived in a bar for lunch. It was a dimly-lit, modern place, with a huge, circular bar in the centre, and a stage by one wall. All the tables were set up, facing the stage.

"This place serves the best wings." Scott assured them, signalling over the waitress. "Five portions of wings and a pitcher of beer."

"Coming right up." The waitress replied. Scott just smiled as he saw Jayden eyeing up the stage.

"Do they do live music here or something?" He asked.

"Sometimes." Scott assured him. "There's definitely a show, that's for sure."

Gem and Gemma looked to each other and started giggling.

"Why do I get the feeling we're missing something?" Antonio asked.

"It's nothing." Gem assured him, trying to keep a straight face as he looked to Scott. The RPM Red Ranger just nodded to confirm his suspicions.

"Alright, what gives?" Jayden asked. Just then, the waitress arrived with the pitcher of beer and some glasses.

"Just relax would you, you'll see soon enough." Scott told them. Just then, the lights dimmed and a spotlight shone on the stage.

"There are a lot of people here for a lunchtime show." Jayden commented.

"Uh, Jayden, have you noticed anything else?" Antonio asked. Jayden just looked around and shrugged.

"What?"

"Where are all the guys?" Antonio asked him. Jayden had to take another look around, and confirmed that he was right. Almost all the patrons here were women.

"Alright folks, please put your hands together, and welcome Spartacus!" The host called over the house microphone. A man strode onto the stage, wearing a cheap costume, and carrying a spear and a shield. Jayden watched on as some music began and he started to dance.

"Uh, alright." He stated, looking to Scott. "What...?"

"Oh God." Antonio announced, burying his face in his hands. "You didn't!"

"I did!" Scott said with an evil smirk as the man on stage dropped his spear and shield, continuing with his routine.

"Did what?" Jayden asked. Just then, the man on stage tore off his breast plate. "Wait, this is..."

"Yup." Scott announced. "I thought you might find this entertaining."

"Look, just because I'm..."

"It's more than just any strip joint." Scott told him. Jayden furrowed his brows, before turning back to the stage. The man on the stage pulled off the helmet, revealing his face. Jayden's eyes just grew wide.

"You've met everyone else's counterpart." Scott told him. "I just thought you might like to see the full set." Jayden just burst out laughing.

"Come on Antonio, you should see this." Jayden told him.

"Yeah, I think I'll pass." He replied. "Somehow I could do without having to describe seeing myself stripping to a shrink."

"Well, look on the bright side." Jayden told him. "Even in this dimension you look pretty good."


	14. Spike's First Week

Serena was a little down as she made her way to the clubhouse for training. Since he had told her he was going back to school, Spike and Bulk had moved their training time to after school to accommodate his new timetable. Bulk had insisted on keeping training at the clubhouse though, all the equipment was there, and it meant they didn't have to worry about damaging anything at his house.

She still felt a little troubled by the talk she'd had with Mentor Ji earlier in the week. She was a little annoyed that he paid so much attention to her personal life. He had been the one that invited Stephen to stay once they had determined that he wasn't going back to the Tengen Gate. He had been more than happy to make use of Stephen's talents upgrading the surveillance and computer systems, and he never complained before now. It was only now that they were getting closer that he seemed to object.

However, what really bothered her was, thinking about it, she could understand his point of view, and even accepted that he had a point. Since the other Rangers had gone, and they were only in the house with Ji, who had spent a lot of his time training when he wasn't out covering the Rangers' duties, they had kind of forgotten that they actually shared the house with anyone. They had started to get a little carried away as they got closer.

As much as she didn't like the thought of her little sister taking the next step, of her no longer being the baby sister, she knew that Mike was good for her, and had accepted his place in her life. She was beginning to come around to the idea that it was looking likely it was more a case of when their relationship would progress than if it would. Mia and Kevin on the other hand had been quite far along in their relationship for a while. They had already agreed to marry, to spend the rest of their lives together.

She had to admit that she had never been particularly concerned about sex. For a good while, during her illness, it looked like it was just something else that was never really an option for her. Even after that, while she was human, and had occasionally thought about it, she had never really been with anyone and given it more than passing thoughts.

She was happy with Stephen, but thinking about it now, that step was something that she had just kind of taken for granted. It was something that Mentor Ji had already spoken to the others about a few times and warned them about. Mike and Emily, even Kevin and Mia were all well aware that their duties came first, and had made that sacrifice. She guessed that Ji kind of had a point all along. If it hadn't been for the fact that the others were away right now, she would have to think that it would be a little insensitive to flaunt their relationship to the others.

She arrived, finding Bulk and Spike starting their warm-up exercises. She smiled a little to see them. It would be the first real lesson since Spike had returned to school, and she was eager to get back to it. She figured it would be a good distraction. She was hoping to be in a better mood by the time she saw Stephen again later, it wasn't going to be the easiest of conversations to have.

"Alright guys, how have you been?" Serena asked them as she dumped her bag on the ground near them.

"Things have been pretty good." Bulk told her. "Spike was just telling me about the new friends he's made at School."

"You're making friends already?" Serena asked him, playfully punching the young man on the shoulder. "Way to go. I knew you had it in you."

Spike just gave her a little smile as he started stretching off, preparing to start. He had been back at school for a couple of days now, and he was starting to find it rewarding already. While he had been starkly reminded of a lot of the reasons he had been home schooled very quickly, he was enjoying getting to know his new friends.

"Well, we should probably get started." Serena stated, picking up a bokken. "Now, you've both had a couple of weeks to learn the last kata, I expect to be impressed."

Meanwhile, over in Corinth, Mia and Kevin arrived back at the Garage, finding everyone except Summer, Mike and Emily waiting for them. Even Hicks had managed to arrange the schedules so that he could be there.

"Where are Mike and Emily?" Kevin asked the others, looking around. "I thought everybody was coming for movie night."

"They called; they said they're having dinner at their other selves' house." Jayden informed them.

"Again?" Kevin asked as he took a seat. "They're spending a lot of time round there."

"Well can you blame them? They turned out alright here." Mia reminded him. "I mean, they're married, have a nice house, things are pretty ideal for them here."

"I guess it's only natural they want to spend time with them." Antonio replied. "By comparison, they really lucked out in this reality."

"Need I remind you I'm a doctor of forensic science?" Kevin chuckled.

"Yeah, that's great for you." Mia reminded him as she sat down, putting an arm around him. "In case you forgot, here I'm probably going to spend the rest of my life in jail."

"I'm already dead." Jayden said with a shrug. "And Antonio..."

"We all know what I do here." Antonio complained. "Do you need to keep reminding everyone?"

"Hey, maybe if we ever come back to your dimension we can look ourselves up." Scott suggested.

"Hey, you know it." Jayden replied. Just then, Summer came back into the room, looking over the others as they settled down.

"Summer, we were just about to start." Scott told her. "We were thinking of starting with "Gone in 60 Seconds."

"That's alright, just go ahead and start without me." She told them. "Dillon, could you come with me for a moment?"

"Summer, the movie..."

"You've seen it about 6000 times." She reminded him. "It'll just take a little while."

"Just start without us guys." Dillon told them with a little groan as he got up. He knew better than to argue with his wife when she wanted to talk about something. "We'll be back later."

Over at Em and Michael's place, Emily and Mike were enjoying a home-cooked meal, while they watched their other selves. Em traced a little symbol in the air, and cast it at a small trough of earth in their living room. It rumbled a little, before the soil turned over, and it started to take on a different colouring. Emily forced down a mouthful of roast potato, and looked to her counterpart as the soil came to rest. She reached into the trough, and picked up some of the soil, rubbing it between her fingers.

"That's...that's perfect!" Emily complimented her as she cleaned off her fingers on a napkin. "That soil is ideal!"

"Michael's coming along as well." Mike told her, presenting her with a bouquet of flowers. "These were just shoots half an hour ago."

Emily accepted the flowers with a huge grin, kissing her boyfriend excitedly.

"All that coaching really seems to have worked." Mike told them. "I'd say pretty soon, you're not going to need us here."

"Really?" Michael asked, looking kind of pleased with himself. He had already told Mike that just like himself; he hadn't done much practicing with his symbol power as a kid. Between that, and the fact that he then hadn't had the benefit of training under Mentor Ji, it was hard for him to learn about his inherited ability. Mike had seen how much he had worked to improve now that he had someone a little more experienced to help him out.

"Yeah, I'd say so too." Emily assured them. "We're going to talk to our friends; I don't think it'll be much longer before we head home."

Michael and Em seemed a little less happy hearing that part. Mike had to admit that he had enjoyed his time seeing what they had made of their lives there, but the fact was that they had family and responsibilities back home. As much as they loved their time in Corinth, they missed home and they wanted to get back.

"You're doing amazing work here. The fields are almost finished." Mike reminded them. "It won't be long before you're looking at the next stage of expansion."

"I know. It's just..." Michael shook his head sadly. "Could you at least let us know when we can come to see you off?"

"You know it." Mike assured them.

"Um...anyway, do I smell apple pie?" Emily asked. "It smells like mom's..."

"Yeah, mom showed me the recipe." Em told her. Emily just looked slightly aghast.

"But...she never told us the recipe!" She complained. "No fair!"

"Tell you what, how about I give you the recipe?" Em giggled as she got up from her seat. "Come on Michael, help me serve up dessert."

Back in their own dimension, Serena was just finishing up the training session with some hand-to-hand work. Bulk helped Spike back to his feet as they finished up.

"Alright, it's about time to start clearing up. I do have a life outside of this training." Serena told them. "Spike, mind if I talk to you for a minute?"

She gestured him aside, taking him a little way from his uncle.

"You seemed a bit distracted at the end there." She told him.

"It's alright..."

"Are you sure?" She asked him. "Is everything alright at school?"

"It's all fine." He told her. Serena just looked at him, completely unconvinced.

"I saw Emily try and lie about what she went through. I know all the signs." She told him. "So, how are things really?"

"I don't want anyone to worry." Spike told her. "I really want to stay."

"I didn't ask about that." Serena reminded him.

"It's nothing big, it's just the usual." He muttered. "My friends, they're not the cool kids in school, so they get kind of a hard time."

"Just your friends?" Serena pressed on.

"Jimmy and Mal haven't brought lunch money to school since their first week because the big kids keep taking it." Spike informed her. "It's nothing too heavy, just some name calling. I found someone trying to put Jimmy in the trash once."

"Kids never were the most creative." Serena commented. "How are you getting on?"

"They don't really bother me so much." Spike admitted. "I've been called a few names, and the jocks were going to kick my butt once, but the head showed up."

"So, what are these kids like?" She asked him. "Is it always the same ones?"

"It's most of the football team." Spike told her. "Most of the donations from boosters come through the football team, so they kind of get a free rein to do what they want. Most of the staff don't care what they get up to."

"That sounds familiar." Serena sighed. "Alright, the first thing is, you haven't fought any of them have you?"

"Are you kidding?" He asked her. "The smallest guy on the team is twice my size. Most of them look like they eat about my entire bodyweight each day!"

"It doesn't matter how big someone is, how many times do I have to tell you that?" She reprimanded him. "Technique and brains will always win out over muscle."

"I guess." He responded with a shrug.

"Now, the main thing you have to worry about is numbers." She told him. "No doubt, they generally travel in packs."

"Like you wouldn't believe." Spike grumbled. "I don't think I've ever seen less than six of them at once."

"Well, I guess all you're going to be able to do is just weather the name-calling and try to keep out their way." Serena stated.

"So that's it?" He asked. "Run and hide?"

"Hey, I didn't say that, just remember. There's no point fighting if you don't have to." She told him. "Would you like to spend every lunch time and home time for the next three years dodging punches?"

"It would be good training I guess." He said, letting out his usual, snorting laugh. He looked up, and saw that she wasn't laughing with him, just glaring at him.

"Until they stomp you into roadkill." She commented. "Like I said, defend yourself if you don't have a choice, but other than that, be smart about it."

"I suppose that's for the best." Spike answered, slightly disappointed. Serena just pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"Well, if you are going to get hassle, I suppose I could show you some basic self-defence."

"I thought we were...?"

"There's a difference between self-defence and a fight." She explained. "It's just getting a guy off you long enough to get away. For example...grab my shirt."

He looked at her a little hesitantly. He had seen her smash boards and throw his Uncle Bulk around like a rag doll. He wasn't too keen on it.

"I don't want..."

"Look, I won't do anything too bad." She assured him. "Just grab my shirt."

He did as he was told, but again, did so rather gingerly at best. She just glared at him.

"Do you really think one of those Neanderthals is going to hold you like that?" She asked him. "Like you mean it!"

He grabbed her shirt, and held on tightly. She just looked at him.

"Alright, now I'm not planning on starting anything, I just want you to let go." She told him. She grabbed his wrist, and he felt her jam one of her fingers into the flesh. His muscles seemed to relax, and she just shoved his hand off. He started to rub his wrist and just looked at her.

"Two fingers, that's all I needed." She told him with a smile. Spike thought about it, and just grinned.

"Show me how to do that!" He screeched. She nodded her head.

"Alright, but just remember. None of this is about fighting; it's just about getting you room to run." She reminded him, grabbing his shirt with her hand. "Alright, grab my wrist."

Back at the Garage, Mike and Emily arrived back, finding the others, except for Summer and Dillon sitting around watching another movie, this time one of Mia's choices, Bridget Jones' Diary. They all looked up as they arrived.

"Glad to see you remembered where we live." Flynn teased them. "How was dinner?"

"We just lost track of time." Emily told them. "Jayden, how are things going with the rest of the project?"

"The foundry seems to be getting along fine." He told them. "The new reservoir seems to be getting along fine."

"Well, pretty soon you can score the agricultural sector off the list too." Mike informed them.

"Really?" Scott asked them. "It's going that well?"

"We came up with an idea that might help it along a little." Mike told them. "We've been teaching Em and Michael more about their symbol power."

"You did?" Jayden asked them.

"They're getting really good." Emily told them, bouncing a little excitedly. "The fields are nearly done. As long as they keep practicing, they won't need us anymore."

"I guess that means we can start discussing when we're going home." Jayden replied, looking to the others. "What do you all think?"

"I just know Corinth Military will want to do something to celebrate everything you've done for us." Hicks told them. "You have to at least let us do something at city hall."

"I guess we'd like a little time off to look around before we go." Mia remarked. "We haven't seen too much of it."

"No, you've mostly seen the bedroom." Antonio commented, causing her and Kevin to look a little uncomfortable.

"I've been recovering." She told him.

"Is that what they call it now?" Antonio asked, arching an eyebrow. Everyone just laughed as she and Kevin started beating on him with pillows to stop the teasing.

Just then, Dillon came into the room, carrying Summer in his arms, with a huge smile on his face. The others all looked around, seeing them both beaming at them brightly.

"Uh, guys, didn't you do the whole carrying her across the threshold thing?" Flynn asked.

"Guys, we have a special announcement." Dillon told them. Summer pulled her arms tighter around his neck.

"Well?" Ziggy asked as Tenaya held his hand. "What is it?"

Summer and Dillon just looked into each others' eyes, preparing to announce their news.


	15. Spike's Disappointment

**A/N:** Sorry about the hiatus folks, things have been crazy here. Hopefully this makes up for it.

Serena got home after training with Spike and Bulk. She had stayed a little longer than she had intended. She had a feeling something was bothering Spike, and after a little coaxing, she had managed to get him to tell her that he and his friends were being bullied.

She had kind of expected that all things considered. Although she had gotten to know Spike, and had to admit to liking the kid, he did take a lot of getting used to. He was kind of unusual, and his personality was incredibly over the top. His dress sense, or lack of it as the case may be, did nothing to improve matters. In short, he kind of stood out, something that was not a good thing in High School, especially since even despite his training; he was still quite a small kid all things considered.

Although she was sure that one-on-one he would have a good chance against the bigger kids, she doubted that they would ever take him on one at a time. Her experience with Emily's bullies had taught her that since the point of bullying was to hide their own insecurities and look strong in front of a group, it usually required an audience. Without one, it was pointless. Between that, and the fact that a lot of bullies didn't have the courage to risk challenging someone by themselves in case they actually fought back, they usually only acted with back-up. She had heard someone tell her a psychological explanation about group behaviour, but to her, it was a lot like wolves or hyenas. They only became brave when they were in a swarm, and knew for a fact they could overwhelm their prey.

She had already taught him that fighting was a last resort, that he should only ever resort to it if he had exhausted all other options. All things considered, running away, while it would look 'cowardly' to the other kids who were brave enough to make a move only with half a dozen friends, it was the preferable option to a five or six on one beat down. She had ended up instead just teaching him a few escape techniques. Basic self-defence techniques that were designed, not to badly hurt or harm the opponent, but to get the room required to run.

When she arrived back, she found Stephen waiting for her. He looked somewhat bored, and a little tired. She could understand all things considered, she was meant to be home a couple of hours ago.

"Sorry, I lost track of time." She sighed. "I was going through some extra training with Spike, and I just...sorry."

"It's alright." He commented, picking up the plates of pasta he had made for them. "I guess this stuff will taste almost as good once it's reheated in the microwave."

"Where's Ji?" She asked him.

"He's across town." He told her. "The Gap Sensor went off a little while ago. Apparently Master Xandred doesn't like baseball; because he had some freak turn up at the Shogun's game."

"Is he alright?" She asked him. Stephen just shrugged and gestured to the monitor.

"I haven't heard anything from the alarm system." He told her. He looked to her as he put the first plate into the microwave. He drew her towards him, kissing her passionately, but she broke it off. She was reminded of the conversation she'd had with Ji earlier.

"How did the interview go?" She asked him. Stephen just smiled.

"You're looking at the Apple Store's latest Genius." He told her. She knew it was something of a come down for him, but the fact was that he needed money now he would no longer be living at the Tengen Gate. She was sure that the extent of the problems he was likely to deal with on the Genius Bar were not much above the infamous "my cup holder broke off" complaint, but as long as it paid, it was something at least. Jayden and Ji were good enough to let him stay rent and board free, but he couldn't very well expect them to keep him in money for spending on his own luxuries.

"Well, I can't imagine anyone that title applies to more." She complimented him as he drew her in again. She stopped him. "Um...Stephen, there's something we should really talk about."

"OK, why doesn't that sound good?" He asked sadly as she took a seat. She held his hand softly.

"It's nothing like that, I can promise you." She told him. "Stephen, I love you, but there are some things that have to change."

"Change?" He asked her.

"Ji kind of brought something up this morning." She told him. "You know I love you, and the time we spend together is great."

"Yeah, I thought so too..."

"Please, just listen to me for a minute." She interrupted him as he tried to pull closer to her. "The thing is, just think about what he walked in on."

"What about it?" He asked her.

"You don't see how that could have made him a little uncomfortable?" She asked him. "Stephen, I was only wearing a dressing gown."

He was about to answer, but could suddenly understand what she was getting at.

"Look, he's alright with us being together, I think we just have to cool the jets a little." She told him. "He brought up something that really made me think. The others, Mike and Emily...I know that the thought of walking in on them like that is a mental image that gives me the heebie jeebies, and Mia and Kevin..."

"In other words, we need to keep things Disney in the public areas." He suggested, seeing where this was going. She nodded her head slightly.

"I think they'd appreciate that." Serena told him. Just then, the ping told them that the first dish had finished heating through.

"I guess I just have to heat mine." He told her, handing her the plate. He placed his own in the microwave and returned to her. "So, how are the lessons with Spike going?"

The following morning in Corinth, the Samurai were all getting ready for the day ahead. Their work was pretty much done, indeed the only ones that still had anything to do were Mike and Emily, and they had already seen to it that Em and Michael would be able to handle things once they were gone.

Hicks had hurriedly arranged for a day of events for the Samurai Rangers. They were all given a day off to take a tour around Corinth and see the sights, all to give the military time to set up a ceremony at City Hall. It had all been arranged quickly, but that was one of the benefits of a self-contained city. The public announce system meant that adverts for the ceremony would be played on a loop throughout the day.

Jayden and Antonio were standing by the coach Hicks had arranged, waiting for the others. Antonio in particular was eager to get started, cradling his digital camera eagerly. Jayden couldn't help sniggering as he saw it.

"You're like a kid at Christmas." Jayden commented. "Would you calm down?"

"Come on Jayden, can you blame me for being excited?" He asked him. "We finally get to see this place for what it is!"

"A giant human fish bowl?" He asked. Antonio just looked at him aghast.

"Jayden, this place...just...I mean, look at this bus!" He stammered out.

"It's a bus." Jayden said with a shrug.

"Jayden, it runs on alcohol vapour! It uses no fossil fuel at all!" Antonio told him. "These street lights are powered by solar receptors on the outer skin of the dome! This news stand..."

He ran over to a news stand and gestured to it.

"It has no coin slot. You don't need to carry money!" He told him. "You just press your finger to it, select your paper, and the money is credited to your account."

Jayden just smiled. He loved seeing how excited Antonio was, and how easy it was to tease him. He was such a gadget freak that a city like Corinth just fascinated him. It was like the Holy Land to him, a city that ran on a technology surpassing that back home. Through necessity, the Corinthians had been forced to abandon almost all their old technology and start from scratch. There wasn't the same resistance to advancement, meaning new ideas and developments were attempted and utilised and not caught up in red tape for years on end. He was like a kid in a candy store who had been told he could take anything he wanted free of charge.

"Jayden, this place is...its paradise!" Antonio said a little giddily.

"Paradise?" Jayden asked him. "Sure, all it took was 99 percent of the world's population being wiped out."

Antonio's face slipped a little as Jayden said this, causing the Red Ranger to feel badly. He regretted bringing down his mood.

"I didn't mean..."

"No, Antonio you're right. There are a lot of good things about Corinth." He told him. "I know that what happened, well...bad doesn't even begin to cover what it was like, but there's a lot of good things about this place."

"Really?" Antonio asked him. "It's not too sci fi for you? I know you like that old-school stuff."

"Hey, I like Twitter as much as the next guy." Jayden reminded him. "Just because I was raised around all that Samurai stuff doesn't mean to say I live in a time warp. I guess there are some things our world could learn from here."

"Like the tech?" Antonio asked him.

"Like a lot of things." Jayden told him. "I talked to Scott not long after we got here. Did you know that hate crimes are extremely uncommon here?"

"Really?" Antonio asked.

"Apparently less than one percent of all violent offences have a motive of discrimination." Jayden told him. "The way he tells it, because mankind had to stand together against Venjix, the differences between people just stopped meaning so much."

"I guess that is one good thing to come out of all this." Antonio responded.

"He told me something else." Jayden continued. "He told me Marcus was gay."

"Marcus?" Antonio asked. He had heard the name, everyone in Corinth had. It was impossible to be there for long without hearing it. Truman was a legendary name in the city, having three of the biggest heroes in their history.

"He said that Marcus had to put up with the whole DADT thing." Jayden told him. "He said he wished that he could have lived to see Corinth the way it is now, and know that the fight was worth it."

"You're right." Antonio replied. "There is a lot our world could learn from this place."

Just then, the others all started to file out. The RPM Rangers were going on the tour with them, to show them the sights. Dillon was walking with Summer, keeping her in his arms protectively, looking around like a member of the secret service trying to maintain a perimeter.

"For goodness sake Dillon, I'm not made of glass!" She chastised him as he took her to the bus.

"Summer, you have to expect this." Emily told her with a huge grin. "You know that he's not going to let you out of his sight."

"I did survive a whole gang war only a few days ago." She reminded him. "It's not like this just..."

"You didn't know then. If you had, I'd never have let you fight." He assured her.

"Let me?" Summer called out, turning to glare at him darkly. "Alright, you know..."

"Blood pressure." Mike teased her. "Remember, it's not just you anymore. Stress isn't good for the baby."

"Then back off and let me relax." Summer told him. Dillon held his hands clear, but as she turned to the bus and started up the stairs, he immediately grabbed her. She just groaned.

"Damn it Dillon, I've been climbing stairs since I was six! I think I can manage it." She told him. Ziggy just came across and tapped him on the shoulder as Tenaya and Milo got onto the bus, separating him from Summer before he stressed her out any further.

"Welcome to the joys of the expectant father." Ziggy told him. They all filed onto the bus, taking their seats. Tenaya had taken the seat next to Summer, meaning that Dillon had to take the seat behind. A little way off, Mia and Kevin couldn't help looking at them.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, knowing that it had to bring back some memories. She just nodded.

"A lot of the moms at the play group had more than one kid. I had to deal with seeing women fall pregnant." She assured him. "It hurt at first, but over time, not as much."

"I'm here." He told her. "If it becomes..."

"No, I'm fine." She reassured him. "Seriously, I'm happy for them."

As he held her and looked over to where Summer was sitting, Dillon was leaning over, still hassling her and checking everything was alright with her. She kept insisting it was, and snapping at him occasionally, but Mia and Kevin both noticed the little ghost of a smile that kept appearing on her face when he tried to attend to her.

"That's one lucky kid." Kevin commented. Mia just nodded in agreement as Hicks got onto the coach.

"Alright guys, we're taking you on a tour that I've personally arranged, culminating in a banquet in your honour at City Hall." Hicks told them. "The first stop on the tour is going to be the memorial park. Flynn, whenever you're ready, roll out."

"Hold on everyone, here we go." Flynn stated as they pulled away from the curb.

Back in their own reality, Spike was arriving at the school, and made his way to his locker. As he got to his locker though, he noticed some books lying on the floor.

"What the...?" He heard a knocking on the door of the locker next to his, coming from the inside. He just sighed.

"Jimmy?" He asked.

"Spike?" He replied. "Come on, let me out!"

"Where's the key?" He asked. There were a few more bangs from inside.

"It's in my pocket." He told him. "OK, I'm sliding it out the grill OK?"

Spike just caught the key as it came out, before working the padlock, finally opening it. Jimmy fell out, landing in a heap on the floor.

"Alright, who was it?" Spike asked him.

"Does it matter?" Jimmy asked him. Spike rolled his eyes.

"Alright, so it was Brad." Spike stated. He saw the head teacher, Dr. Phelps walking along the hall. He ran over.

"Dr. Phelps, can I talk to you?" Spike asked. He just smiled.

"Of course you can my boy; you know I have an open door policy." He responded. "What can I help you with?"

"It's Jimmy, some of the seniors are giving him a hard time." Spike told him. Jimmy just ran over, and gave Spike a horrified look, before turning to Dr. Phelps.

"Dr. Phelps..."

"Oh, so what happened?" He asked.

"They locked him in his locker." Spike told him. "He had the key on him. If I hadn't come by, he'd still be in there. Who knows when someone would have let him out?"

"Really?" Dr. Phelps asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Jimmy pulled Spike down.

"Are you trying to get me run up the flagpole?" He whispered. "Everyone knows you don't tattle."

"How do you expect things to change if you don't do anything?" Spike asked him. He looked to Dr. Phelps, who seemed to be looking to the pile of books on the floor.

"So who did this?" He asked him.

"It was Brad!" Spike rushed out before Jimmy could stop him. "He and the football team have been making everyone's life miserable."

"I see." Dr. Phelps replied. "And did you actually see them shove Johnny..."

"Jimmy." The younger kid corrected him.

"Did you actually see the incident?" Dr. Phelps asked. Spike shook his head.

"Well, technically no but..."

"Well it's a very serious accusation to make without proof Mr Skullovitch." Dr. Phelps replied. He then looked to Jimmy. "Were you hurt lad?"

"No." Jimmy mumbled. The principal just smiled.

"Well then, I guess no harm done." He responded.

"No harm done?" Spike shrieked. "He was locked in! He had the key! If I hadn't come, he could have been in there till recess!"

"But he wasn't was he?" Dr. Phelps replied. "No, I have a feeling this was all a little high jinks that got a little out of hand."

"Out of hand?" Spike shrieked again. "Are you serious?"

"Look Mr. Skullovitch, I'm not going to start pulling students into my office without any proof. Unless Johnny..."

"Jimmy." He corrected him again.

"Unless Jimmy makes a complaint, and has some way to back it up..."

"And I suppose because Brad has the whole football team as witnesses, you'll believe him anyway." Spike said in an exasperated tone. Dr. Phelps suddenly seemed a lot less cheerful and lowered himself to look Spike in the eyes.

"This school runs smoothly Mr Skullovitch." He told him. "If you have some proof of any of your ludicrous accusations, come to me. Other than that, do not rock the boat."

As Dr. Phelps walked away, spike just stood open-mouthed in complete disgust. Jimmy just gathered his books.

"Yeah, you have an open-door policy." He commented sarcastically. "That way it doesn't hit anyone on the ass on the way out when you send them packing without doing anything!"

"I told you it wouldn't do any good." Jimmy told him. As Spike was about to answer, the first bell rang. "Damn, I've got to get to the science block. I'll see you at recess."

Spike watched him go, and his fists clenched in anger. Although Vicky had warned him when he started, it had now been confirmed that the administration did nothing to help the kids being victimised. He remembered his own words to Jimmy as he gathered his own books for his first class. Things were never going to change if he didn't do something himself.


	16. Spike's Display

The bus rolled up to the central Corinth museum, at which Flynn pulled it into the lay by out front. Hicks pointed to the building.

"Given the fact the world was basically destroyed, the central council felt that the preservation of any and all history was vital." He began his lecture. "In this building is every major historical artefact in Corinth, creating as much of a history as we can muster. As the excavation crews find things out in the wastes, they are analysed by the University's history department, and the important ones become exhibits here."

The Samurai Rangers started to disembark, taking care around Summer so they didn't cause Dillon any stress. Although she had been fighting only days before she announced her pregnancy, suggesting it was so early in the process that she was far from any form of danger from a mere knock or bump, he was already being incredibly protective.

They followed Hicks into the main hall, where he led them up to an F16 fighter jet, with the name "Eagle 1" emblazoned on the side. Jayden saw the smile on Scott's face. While Marcus' plane was, in truth, still out in the desert, this one had been constructed in the museum as a memorial to him.

"This is a fighter plane just like those flown by Eagle Squadron during the Battle of Corinth." He told them. "Although they were outnumbered and outgunned, they were critical to protecting the evacuees, and they were honoured with this display. Only one member of the squadron survived that day, but their legacy lives on in Corinth and the people therein."

Jayden flicked a little look over to Scott. He knew that Scott had told him he was part of the air defence. He had never told him he was the only one to make it back. He felt a hand siding into his and looked down, finding it wrapping around his own. He smiled as he followed it up, finding Antonio holding it. He never asked for it, he never even indicated it, but Antonio just knew this was something that was hard for him to hear. It brought back memories of his father and his sacrifice.

"Recently, we managed to reconstruct the final communications from the flight recorder of the squad leader, Marcus Truman." Hicks continued. He started the recording, letting them hear the details of that fateful day. Jayden tightened his grip on Antonio's hand, but the Gold Ranger didn't mind. All he could do was smile.

Back in their reality, Spike and Vicky found the others as they were sitting down to lunch. He made his way over, taking a seat and pulling out his lunch as he joined them.

"Jimmy was just telling us about this morning." Mal greeted him. "Not a smart move."

"Letting him out?" Spike asked.

"Tattling to the head!" Mal whispered under his breath. "Are you trying to get your ass kicked?"

"I was trying to make sure Jimmy didn't spend the day in his locker." Spike told him dejectedly.

"Mal's right, Dr. Phelps never does anything against the football team." Vicky told him. "I mean, if one of them was standing over a kid with half a dozen bullets in him holding a smoking gun, he'd probably say it was the other kid's fault for getting in the way of the bullets."

"That's an exaggeration surely." Spike said with a little grunting laugh. None of the others joined him though. Instead, Jimmy just drew closer.

"There's a reason I didn't confirm your story." He told him. "Today I was stuffed in my locker. If I tattled, then tomorrow, I'd be hanging from the flagpole by my underwear."

Spike just looked at them all aghast.

"Don't any of you want to stop this shit?" He asked them.

"Of course we want it to end." Vicky told him. "We're just realistic."

"The smallest guy on the football team outweighs pretty much all of us by a hundred pounds." Mal told him. "If we tried anything, we'd be killed!"

"Or expelled." Jimmy chipped in. "The football team always sticks together. If it's our word against theirs, they always have about two dozen witnesses saying whatever they want their version of the story to be."

Spike wanted to argue, but from his own experiences, he could remember what bullying was like. As long as the kids stuck together, providing alibis and making sure no one was ever witnessed doing anything by the faculty, then nothing could touch them.

"We have gym class to look forward to." Vicky sighed, looking to Spike. "It's Friday, so it'll be dodgeball."

"So..."

"Just turn your back, don't get smacked in the face and walk off." She told him. "Unless you really like the idea of spending the weekend with a concussion."

Just as he was about to answer, he felt a hand clamping down on his shoulder. He winced in pain under the harsh grip of the claw digging into him with incredible force. The hand was massive, and looked like it could crush a coconut like a grape.

"Hey New Kid, I heard you had an interesting talk with Dr. Phelps." A kid commented. The voice was deep, having already broken. Spike craned his neck to look up the arm, seeing a kid that almost looked like the size of a small family car standing behind him. He had long, brown hair, and dark brown eyes. His smile held nothing but menace in it. "I guess now you have a better understanding how things work around here."

"I'm starting to get the idea." Spike replied. The big kid just dug his fingers in more harshly.

"I have a feeling coach will merge the classes today." He told him. "I'll be looking for you."

Spike's face froze in an expression of contempt. This was a poorly veiled threat, but one none of them could prove even if they did complain. Spike remembered what Serena had taught him, and grabbed the behemoth's wrist, jamming a couple of fingers into just the right spot to catch the nerve. His fingers released their grip involuntarily, and Spike threw his hand off dismissively. The kid looked completely confused and horrified at what had happened. He had no idea how Spike had thrown his hand off him, but he had made a point. Brad and a few others made their way over.

"Kurt, is everything cool here?" Brad asked him. Kurt was still looking at Spike, seemingly a little confused about what had transpired. Spike made a mental note that Serena's technique had done its job. He had made a point.

"Yeah, just reminding the new kid how things work here." He replied. "That and telling him coach will probably merge the classes today."

"Yeah, that'll be fun." Brad chuckled, patting Kurt on the shoulder. "Good luck new kid."

"Home School's looking pretty good right about now isn't it?" Vicky asked him. Spike just shook his head.

"Not really." He said with a little smirk. "Lunchtimes are kind of lonely."

In Corinth, the Rangers completed their tour by arriving at City Hall. The building was impressive, but not much in and of itself, just like any government office. However, on this occasion, there was a red carped leading down to the bus, and huge banners strung across it. There was already a crowd assembled for their arrival. Flynn put on the parking brake and turned to them with a smile.

"We had to keep you distracted while they set up." He told them. The Samurai were all beaming with joy. One of the things that sucked about the secret identity shtick was that it was thankless. No one knew who to thank. There were no parades in their honour, no public holidays, rarely was there anything beyond a newscaster just saying thank you on the evening news. His time though, there was no secret in their identity, and he party was for them.

As they filed off the bus, they were almost blinded by the paparazzi as the camera flashes bombarded them. They couldn't help smiling and the excitement was exhilarating. Emily looked ready to bounce right out of her skin if Mike wasn't holding her down. The RPM rangers though were a lot more subdued. They were a bit more used to the public attention.

"You know, I could get used to this." Antonio whispered to Jayden with a little grin as he waved to the crowd. "Maybe we should reconsider the whole secret identity thing."

"Well, we all know you like attention." Jayden eased him. "After all, you did become a..."

"So, what do you reckon is with the podium?" Antonio interrupted him. Jayden just laughed. He loved having something on Antonio that he could tease him with.

"I guess there's only one way to find out." He replied. As Antonio was about to go, he grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Jayden?" Antonio asked. Jayden couldn't find any words though. Antonio was happier than he could remember seeing him, and it was infectious. He wanted to explain how it made him feel, but he couldn't find the words. Things had been strained between them since the whole Alexandra thing. As their eyes met, he did the only thing he could think of and pulled Antonio towards him, pressing his lips to the Gold Rangers'. He didn't even notice the whoops of approval from the crowd, or the fact that the other Rangers had turned to watch them. They only parted when Hicks cleared his throat.

"Um...the deputy Mayor wants to start the presentation." Hicks told them.

"Presentation?" Jayden asked.

"We're giving you the key to the city." Hicks told them. "So..."

"Yeah, we're ready." Antonio replied, putting his arm around Jayden. "Come on."

As they made their way to the podium, Antonio was grinning from ear to ear.

Back in their reality, Spike and Vicky had changed for gym class and arrived to find, just as predicted, that the gym teacher and football coach, Mr. Ocean, had merged the classes and arranged them in the gym for dodgeball. It was not entirely surprising; it was the final periods of a Friday, so it was an easy way for him to finish the week without actually having to arrange a lesson.

"Just remember what I said. Vicky whispered to him.

"Alright class, today is dodgeball." Mr. Ocean told them. "Seniors on the left, Sophomores on the right."

Spike knew right away that someone had spoken to the coach. No one in their right mind would ever have thought that was a fair split. The half of the seniors that didn't push the two hundred pound mark still towered over everyone on the sophomore's team. He looked across and saw Brad and Kurt sniggering as the two teams lined up.

"Alright, let's see what you have." Mr. Ocean stated, throwing the ball into play.

To say the game was a massacre would have been an understatement. Vicky had done as she had advised Spike to do and turned her back, taking a ball to the shoulder less than a minute in, and heading to the bench. The others fell in pretty quick order, but as he bounced around, trying to size up the game, Spike noticed something. No one was aiming for him. The ball soared around him several times, painfully eliminating the others, but not once was it coming anywhere near him.

Finally, he stood alone. There were still about a dozen seniors facing off against him. Brad gave him a knowing wink.

"Try to dodge this new kid." He said dismissively as they all launched their balls. Spike knew it was hopeless to avoid all of them, but he could make a point in the end. He managed to block a couple with his forearms, but also managed to kick one back, which smacked Brad square in the face. He didn't even care as the coach blew his whistle.

"You little..."

"Brad, cool it!" One of the other seniors told him, nodding in the direction of Mr. Ocean. "It's just a game."

"Yeah, it's just a game." Brad replied, glaring at Spike. "A game that kid's going to learn the rules of."

A little later, in the changing room, Spike was talking about the game with Mal when Brad showed up. He barged into the room, silencing everyone with his presence. He had another couple of seniors with him for backup. He saw Spike and made his way over.

"What the hell was that kid?" He asked.

"A game of dodgeball?" Spike answered tentatively. Brad seemed less than amused.

"No one beans me kid, no one!" He replied, shoving Spike to the floor with a thud. Spike just looked up at him. "I'm telling you kid, you need to learn your place. If you do that again, I'll knock your teeth in! I swear to God I'll knock your God Damned teeth in!"

As Brad walked away, Mal just offered Spike a hand, but he wouldn't take it. Spike instead just scrambled to his feet, and followed Brad out to the adjoining changing room. Spike approached the quarterback, picking up a pair of balled socks and launching them at his head. They rebounded off, catching the quarterback's attention.

"Do you have a death wish?" He growled.

"Do it." Spike snarled.

"What?" Brad asked him.

"You said you'd knock my teeth in, do it!" Spike barked. Brad just looked to his friends, before laughing and cracking his knuckles.

"Alright..."

"No, no here." Spike told him. "You always insist on an audience, meet me outside."

Spike ignored the cat-calls and whoops as he went outside. Although Serena had told him not to fight, by now he was finding it hard to find another option. Brad was riding him and his friends constantly. He would never leave them alone, and his experience with the staff told him that he could not expect them to intervene. He got out into the courtyard, a concrete basketball court, and turned around, taking off his jacket. By now, both the boys and the girls were filing out. Vicky ran over to him looking horrified with Mal at her side. Obviously he had relayed the story.

"Spike, have you lost your freaking mind?" She screamed at him.

"No, I've only lost my patience." He told her.

"He'll rip your head off!" She screeched, her eyes pleading with him to see sense. "Spike..."

"Don't go too far." He told her. "This'll be over soon."

Brad took off his letterman jacket, leaving him wearing only a sleeveless tee that showed off exactly why he was the quarterback. While he wasn't the biggest kid in school, he had muscles that looked like they weighed almost as much as Spike did. He was toned, and had an incredible physique. He looked to Spike and smiled.

"You know, if you want to back out..."

"No, I just want to make some conditions." Spike told him. "None of your friends interfere. It's just you and me."

"I don't need anyone to turn you into pulp, but ok." Brad told him, before looking to the crowd. "No one interferes! It's just me and him!"

Spike took off his jacket, handing it to Mal.

They circled each other for a moment, before Brad launched his way, swinging for the fences. Spike managed to duck, but he was caught off balance. For someone his size, Brad was incredibly fast, much faster than Spike had anticipated. He was starting to realise why he was on the football team.

"Keep swinging asshole." Spike beckoned him. "Maybe you'll give me a cold!"

Brad went into a rage, rushing Spike and swinging for him with everything he had. Spike was always only just able to keep out of reach, leading to some boos and jeers from the crowd who thought he was running away. In reality, he was just that little bit faster than Brad and just managed to stay out of reach.

He felt himself collide with something metal as he stepped back, and was stunned for a moment, but recovered just in time to see Brad's fist coming his way. He dodged in time, only for the quarterback to slam his hand home with a sickening crunch and a horrendous scream of pain.

Spike took the opportunity, kicking his leg out from under him, sending Brad to one knee, and then smashing him in the face with a massive roundhouse. He turned to the crowd who were already divided. The sophomores were cheering, having seen him take down Brad, but the Seniors were silent.

"Now you see what he's really like!" Spike screamed. "He's a fucking coward!"

His eyes blazed with fury and adrenaline was still coursing through him as he addressed them.

"You all shove us around and call us names because you're so brave when here's a huge group of you, but just remember this the next time you think that's cool!" Spike screamed. "The one and only time one of you had the guts to take me by myself, I handed him his ass in less than a minute!"

Vicky was becoming restless as she saw other members of the team surrounding Brad, who was still rolling around in agony.

"That's right folks, that's the real lesson here! We..."

"I think...I think I busted my hand." Brad sobbed. There was suddenly a deathly silence as all the kids looked at him. He tried to move his hand, but every movement was painful. "I busted my hand!"

Spike paused as he suddenly realised that everyone was now silent. Brad was the quarterback, and a lot of the school's prestige came from the success of the football team. There was a reason he was the king of the school. Kurt tried to move brad's hand, but all that resulted in was a horrendous scream. The rest of the football team got up and rounded on Spike.

"Spike run!" Vicky screamed. Spike didn't need to be told twice, and turned, sprinting off with the football team in hot pursuit.


	17. The Train Home

The football team pursued Spike as he ran through the city. Rounding a corner, he paused in a doorway to catch his breath. His legs felt like jelly through a combination of the exertion of trying to outrun the football team, and the fear at the thought of what would happen if they did catch up with him.

He cursed his rash actions as he struggled to get his breathing back under control. He had finally become fed up with all the torment thrown at him and his friends by the football team, with the faculty either not doing anything about it, or in the case of the coach, actively encouraging it as a way to keep the jocks happy.

He had actually won the fight, and in pretty short order too. Brad had completely underestimated him. He was half his size, so Brad hadn't been expecting him to be able to defeat him one-on-one. Spike had only intended to show him up, to demonstrate to the others that there was someone willing and able to fight back, and show him, and by extension his friends to be cowards, unable to enact their cruelty unless they had back-up. Unfortunately now, he was beginning to understand why Serena had been so adamant that fighting should be his last option.

He hadn't intended to hurt Brad badly, he only intended to take him down, but in the midst of the fight, he had ducked a punch, which ended with Brad slamming his hand full-speed into a steel dumpster. It became obvious as the others checked on him that his hand was probably broken. As the team quarterback, that put the whole team in jeopardy. Now, the team was after him to exact revenge.

He saw a few of the teens rushing past, and pulled deeper into cover, trying to hide. He was about to breathe a sigh of relief, when unfortunately, one of the team stopped by the end of the alleyway, his curiosity causing him to look down. Spike froze as he realised he had been seen.

"He's here!" The football player called out. Spike looked down the street. It had a high wall at the end, seemingly cutting it off, but seeing a dumpster by it, he ran towards it, leaping up. The team filed into the street after him, but by the time they reached the end of the alley, Spike had already thrown himself over the wall to the other side.

He wasn't far from his home now, once he got there, he knew he would be safe. At least, he would until he had to go to school the following day, and Serena would be there for training. He was sure she would have something to say about his rash actions at the gym, but right now, he could only hope she would have some kind of recommendation what he could do to stop the football team tearing him apart the next time they saw him.

He then turned as he heard the first of the team scrambling up the wall.

"Crap!" He screamed, before taking off again at full tilt, heading for home.

Over in Corinth, the Rangers were all in the main hall of the City Hall, where the party was already underway. Most of Corinth had been there to see them being presented with the key to the city, symbolically meaning they were always welcome in the city.

Summer was by the buffet, carrying a plate, and looking around the selection available and trying to choose. Dillon came across, taking the plate from her.

"Dillon!" She shrieked.

"Are you sure you should be eating this stuff?" He asked her, looking at the food a little judgementally. "Aren't these snacks full of chemicals?"

"Dillon, give me back the plate." Summer warned him. "I'm hungry!"

"I think I saw some fresh fish and some fruit over..."

"Dillon!" She snapped, elbowing him in the stomach and snatching the plate back. "Take food off me again, and you know what I'll do with it!"

As she stormed off, he noticed Mia chuckling, before coming across.

"I have another eight and a half months of this of this to survive." Dillon grumbled.

"You know, maybe you should try to relax a little." Mia suggested. "Pregnancy really puts a woman through a lot. She could use support more than fussing."

"I remember seeing what Tenaya went through." He told her. "I just...I really want to help."

"Well, I can give you one hint for a start." Mia continued. "Getting between a pregnant woman and food? Not a good idea."

She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.

"It's a pretty stressful, frustrating and confusing time." She told him. "Believe me, if you want to be a good husband and father, then the best thing you can do is just be supportive and help keep her comfortable. Give her some space and be there when she needs it. She'll let you know what she needs."

In another area of the party, Emily and Mike were waltzing slowly, enjoying the music as the night wore on. Mike gestured to Emily to look up as he saw Em and Michael, also dancing.

"Hey, it's great to see you here." Mike announced happily. "We thought you'd be busy with the fields."

"We managed to finish early today." Michael told them happily. "In fact, we've got a progress report here. If we keep working at this rate, the field will be finished soon."

"In fact, we've done the maths, and we think that you should be able to go home whenever you want." Em added.

"Really?" Emily asked them. "That's really good to hear. You're making great progress."

"Well, we wouldn't have been able to do any of it without you." Em told them as the song ended. They followed the Samurai Rangers off the dance floor to take a little rest from the dancing. Em looked to her husband.

"Would you take Mike to get us a little punch?" She asked her husband. Mike and Michael went off to get their respective partners a drink, leaving Em and Emily alone.

"So, I guess you've enjoyed your time here in Corinth." Em asked her. Emily nodded.

"It's nice here. I really enjoyed it." She told her other self. "I guess we could stay a little longer..."

"We wouldn't ask that of you." Em told her flatly. "We appreciate everything you've done, but we know that you'll want to get back home."

"I guess I have been missing it." Emily replied. "Dr. K said she had set up some kind of communications system that basically lets us e-mail each other across dimensions. I guess we could always keep in touch."

"Really?" Em asked her. Emily just nodded.

"Summer promised to keep us up to date with the pregnancy." Emily told her. "If you spoke to Dr. K, I'm sure she'd let us keep in touch."

"I'd really like that." Em told her. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a piece of paper, handing it to Emily. "Here's mom's apple pie recipe, just like I promised."

"Thanks." Emily said with a bright smile. "Serena's going to be so jealous when I tell her I have this."

"Yeah, could you do something for me?" Em asked her. Emily just nodded.

"Sure, what?" Emily asked her. Em looked to the ground, finding it hard to compose herself as she prepared to ask. She was playing with her hair nervously.

"When you get back, could you...could you hug Serena for me?" She asked. Emily felt a little sadness in her as she heard her ask this. Something she had almost forgotten, taken for granted, was that she was going back to her family. Serena was waiting at home, and while it would be some time before she'd see them, her parents were waiting too. In this reality, Em had made it to Corinth alone. Serena had succumbed to her illness before the invasion, and her parents had died in the initial attacks. "I know it'll be a while, but your mom and dad too?"

"Of course." Emily replied, hugging her counterpart tightly. "Take care of yourselves."

"I will." She assured her.

Back in their reality, Spike was still being chased by the football team, but he was closing in on his home. He was almost home and free.

He cast a glance backwards to see if they were close, but unfortunately, in doing so, he failed to see a bunch of trash cans on the curb. He ended up face planting straight into the concrete. As he tried to scramble back to his feet, he felt a boot coming up into his ribs; driving the wind out of him and sending him back down.

He covered up his head as he was quickly surrounded, and the team started to hammer into him with hard kicks and punches.

He was eventually dragged to his feet, and slammed into a wall, at which two of them held his arms in place tightly. One of the linebackers approached him, grabbing his face tightly.

"You couldn't leave it well enough alone could you kid?" He asked him, slamming a fist into his gut. "You hurt Brad..."

"Brad hurt himself." Spike spluttered out. The linebacker just lost his temper, swinging hard punches into Spike's face and body as the others cheered him on. Spike could hardly see, his vision blurred in and out of focus, but he finally felt the hold on his arms loosening and he was thrown into the garbage. He saw the team crowding around him.

"Alright man, he's had enough." One of them stated.

"I don't think so." Pete, the kicker stated. "I reckon it's time for the special teams.

"You're going to kill him!" One of the others screamed as Spike was brought up to his knees, and held over, his arms held tightly so that his head was exposed. The kicker lined up, and started to bounce in place, preparing to go. Everyone else was cheering him on, while one of them was still trying to calm the situation. "Look at him, he can't even stand by himself, you're going to kill him!"

"He's the one that wanted a problem, well now he's got one!" The Linebacker replied. "Go on Pete, fifty yards!"

Pete started the run-up, but was cut off as someone leapt into view, kicking him hard in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. Spike could hardly see straight, but he could focus enough to see that it was a woman that had saved him, and he remembered where he was. He had managed to get to his street. Serena must have seen what was happening from the house.

"Alright, that's enough!" Serena snarled angrily as she stood by Spike. Bulk arrived too, carrying a bokken. "You've had your fun, now clear out!"

"Or what?" Peter asked her. "In case you hadn't noticed..."

"In case YOU hadn't noticed, this is a nice neighbourhood." Bulk told him. "The cops patrol by here all the time. There's a car due any minute."

"Best case scenario, you end up going down the station." Serena warned them. "Worst case scenario, you all get your asses kicked by a girl. Your choice."

"Come on guys." Pete snorted. "This isn't worth it."

"Don't think this is over Spike." One of them taunted him as they left, laughing as they went. Serena turned back to where Bulk was helping his nephew back to his feet, but Spike was barely conscious, and certainly in no state to stand by himself.

"Alright, get him inside." Serena told him. "We can check him out there."

The following day, the Samurai and RPM Rangers assembled on the platform of a train station. They had talked for a long time after the party, and although they had enjoyed the time they had spent there, they had eventually made the decision that it was for the best that they went home. Corinth no longer needed them, and they had their own responsibilities to deal with.

Scott summoned the Paleomax Train onto the line. Jayden approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It gets easier. I can tell you that from personal experience." He assured the Red RPM Ranger. It had only been around a week since he had lost his father. Other responsibilities had kept him busy, and stopped him from really taking the time to grieve properly. He just nodded.

"Thanks." Scott told him. He just forced a little smile. "Can you believe that Hicks asked if I wanted to put my name forward for the Mayoral elections?"

"Are you thinking about it?" Jayden asked him. "I don't know any better hands the city could be in."

"Politics was always more my dad's thing." Scott told him with a shrug. "I'm a flyboy. I belong in the cockpit, not a board room."

"We downloaded all the data we could get from the battle onto this." Gem told them, handing a CD to Antonio. "Hopefully you can find something useful from this."

"Well from what we saw, that Black Box is really going to help." Antonio told him. "Something tells me that we're going to want it sooner rather than later."

"We'll keep in touch." Summer assured them. "Make sure you keep us in the loop."

"You make sure you do the same." Mia replied. "We'll want to see pictures of that baby when it comes!"

A loud whistle sounded from the Paleomax Zord, at which Jayden just smiled.

"I guess that's someone telling us it's time to go." Jayden replied, shaking Scott's hand. "Thanks again for having us. It was...interesting."

"Well, it was interesting seeing your home too." Scott agreed. "Good luck with Master Xandred."

With a few more goodbyes and some hugs, the Rangers all boarded the train, allowing the doors to close behind them. It was somewhat bittersweet. They all wanted to go home, to get back to their own lives, but they knew that this wasn't just a little bus ride. Their friends lived in another dimension, and so far the only way they were able to cross was with the Paleomax Zord. It wasn't like they could just hop on a bus to go and see them.

As the train pulled away, it gathered speed, before disappearing in a flash of light, carrying the Samurai on their journey home.


	18. Spike's Lesson

Serena was checking over Spike's injuries, but given the way that he kept flinching every time she touched him, Bulk could tell that she was being somewhat less than gentle with him. He was cringing a little too, seeing the state he was in.

"Are you sure we shouldn't take him to a..."

"He doesn't need a hospital." Serena assured him. "Those meatheads may be strong, but they had no idea what they were doing. It's all just tissue damage."

"Your examination hurts more than the beating." Spike tried to joke. Serena just gave him a cold glare, letting him know that his lame joke was not getting him off the hook. She slapped him across the back of the head. "Ow!"

"Now, exactly what part of 'don't fight' did you fail to understand?" She asked him.

"But..."

"I overheard that big kid saying you broke a guy's hand." Serena told him.

"I didn't do anything! He took a swing at me and hit a dumpster. What was I supposed to do? Let him break my face instead?" He shrieked. Bulk looked to her pleadingly.

"It sounds like he was just defending himself." He told her. Serena just snorted, before turning back to Spike.

"And why exactly did he take a swing?" Serena asked him. "Last time I asked, I got the impression the bullies didn't really go much beyond name-calling with you."

Spike looked between Bulk and Serena, before finally relenting. Although he knew Serena would be disappointed, he didn't want to make the situation any worse by lying to her.

"I may have kinda...called him out." He admitted. Serena just threw her hands up.

"Alright, so after I specifically told you only to fight to defend yourself as a last resort, you translate that as a licence to go all Steven Segal and take on the leader of the pack?" She asked him. "If they hadn't already kicked your ass so hard, I would be doing it right now! And you can forget about any more lessons if that's what you're going to do with what I teach you!"

"I'm sorry, it's just...they shoved Jimmy in a locker!" He told her. "They locked him in. If I hadn't let him out, he'd have been in there until recess."

"So, you let him out!" Serena reminded him.

"When I talked to Dr. Phelps to complain, he just laughed it off. He didn't even ask the others about it!" Spike told her. "The coach just panders to them. He made the last period dodgeball, seniors against sophomores just so they could have a good laugh slaughtering us!"

"That does sound rough," Serena agreed, remembering her own high school. Between sophomore and senior year, it seemed like most of the kids just about doubled in size, especially the ones that ended up on the football team, "but still, that doesn't excuse..."

"Brad yelled at me in the changing room. He was upset that I hit him with the ball and he said he'd knock my teeth in. After everything he and his friends have been doing to the other kids, I just got fed up. He leads the others. I thought if I showed him up, then the others would leave us alone!"

Serena felt a little better, hearing his side of the story. Even though he had acted rashly, and defied what she had said, she could tell that he had at least been trying to do things for the right reasons.

"Alright Spike, you can continue lessons, but no more starting fights!" She warned him.

"There are no worries about that." Spike muttered. "I learned my lesson on that account. Bullies don't fight fair, even when they say they will."

"You're also grounded for the rest of the week." Bulk told him. Serena just looked to him, and Bulk winced a little, before looking slightly sterner. "Two."

"That's more like it." Serena replied.

"So, I guess now I'm getting pulled out of school again." Spike grumbled. Serena just slapped him upside the head again. "Hey!"

"Oh no, you are NOT getting out of it that easily!" She warned him.

"I've been there a week and already everyone wants to rip my head off!" Spike shrieked. "That guy was going to punt my head down the street! Everyone hates me!"

"Well, you have stirred up a hornets' nest that's for sure." Serena agreed. "However, part of being a Samurai is courage, including the courage to face the consequences of your actions, good or bad."

"But..."

"You do have friends there Spike, and you've just pissed off every bully in school. Don't you think they might try to get back some face?" She asked him. "If you're not around, you'll be safe, but who do you think that'll leave to face them by themselves?"

Spike looked horrified by the thought. He had been trying to make a point, to get the bullies to leave him and his friends alone. He hadn't considered the fact that he had only succeeded in making things worse if anything.

"Besides." Serena said with a smile. "From what I hear, those friends of yours really quite like you. Would you really be so quick to leave them?"

"I guess not." He commented. "I'm sorry Serena."

"Go and rest up." She told him. As he left, Bulk came to her side.

"It's not over is it?" Bulk asked him. Serena shook her head.

"I know a lot about bullies." She told him. "Now they've been embarrassed...he'll need all the strength he can to take the backlash."

Over at the Shiba House, Stephen was getting back from his shift at the local Apple store, finding Mentor Ji treating a few injuries. He had been dealing with all of the Rangers' duties single-handed since they had left. He was fortunate that so far there was nothing that he couldn't handle, even if it did mean that without a full team he took a fair number of bumps in his fights. Whatever the reason for Master Xandred's lack of activity, it had worked in his favour.

He was a little concerned about Ji if he was forced to admit it. Although he knew that he was as much a Samurai as the others, and was tough in his own right, he also was not a young man like the others. It concerned him how hard Ji was pushing himself lately. Between the strain on his body of fighting, and the strain on his Symbol Power of powering a whole Megazord single-handed when the situation called for it, he was beginning to think that Ji may have overestimated his ability to take over the role of the whole team.

"How was your day?" Ji asked him as he closed over his kimono, hiding the worst of his injuries. Stephen just nodded.

"It was fine." He commented. "Most of the issues were pretty run of the mill, pretty boring to be honest, but at least it pays."

"I just finished making some tea." Ji told him. "I know you like to wait for Serena for dinner, but perhaps while we wait..."

Just then, the door flew open, and the Samurai Rangers came bounding into the room.

"Be it eeever so huuuumble!" Mike started to sing, causing the others to laugh a little.

"There's nooooo place like home!" The others finished the song. Ji and Stephen ran over to join them.

"You're back!" Ji announced, clearly pleased to see them. "I thought you were..."

"We managed to finish up a lot sooner than expected." Jayden interrupted him, hugging Ji. Stephen knew how much Ji had to be hurting, especially around the ribs, but he never let on as Jayden hugged him. All things considered, he was sure that it was the best medicine he could think of.

"So, how was Corinth?" He asked them.

"It was...interesting." Jayden said rather cautiously. "Antonio loved his time there."

"Well, not all the time." Mike teased him. "I remember one club..."

"I'm sure Ji doesn't want to hear about that." Antonio told him, pulling out the CD. "We did find out some wicked cool stuff though. You won't believe what we saw!"

"Antonio, we've just arrived..."

"We saw the Black Box completed!" Antonio stated excitedly. "In their dimension, the Black Box was completed. We saw it in action, we SO have to finish it!"

"Wait, back up a second, you saw the Black Box in action?" Stephen asked him. "How...?"

"It turns out we exist there too." Mike explained. "It's a different dimension, so there are a few differences, but it seems we exist there too. We just...never became Samurai Rangers."

"I'll explain later." Jayden chipped in as Stephen and Ji just looked at him a little confused.

"So, if there are no Samurai Rangers, how did you see...?"

Just then, Serena came back.

"Alright guys, I'm home a little early." She announced. "You won't believe the day I've had. Spike..."

She was cut off as Emily darted across the room and snatched her into a tight hug. Serena just smiled as she looked around, seeing all the others in the room.

"Now, that's some way to be welcomed home." Serena told them. "Hey guys, you're back!"

"We arrived just a little before you did." Mike told her, coming over to her.

"I missed you too Emily." Serena told her as the Yellow Ranger kept a tight grip on her. "I don't mind, but what's with the greeting?"

"I promised someone I'd give this to you." Emily told her.

"Who?" Serena asked. Emily just smiled up at her.

"Me." She replied. Serena just looked even more confused.

"Tell you what, why don't you guys all catch up and order something in for dinner?" Jayden asked. "I doubt anyone's in the mood to cook for eight people. Ji, I need to catch you up on a few things."

Ji just nodded and gestured for the others to catch up. Jayden took the CD from Antonio and went with Ji into a side room for some privacy. Kevin just looked to Antonio as he watched them go.

"It still bothers you doesn't it?" Kevin asked him.

"What?" Antonio responded.

"The fact he still keeps secrets." Kevin answered. Antonio just shrugged in response. It did bother him a little. He knew that Jayden was a lot more open with him than he was with any of the others, but he knew that he still didn't tell him everything.

"I know he has his reasons." He replied. "Anyway, how does everyone feel about Indian?"

Over at their place, Spike was just doing some homework when the doorbell rang. Bulk got up and started heading to the door.

"You just keep doing that homework." Bulk warned him, before opening the door. He saw three kids standing on the doorstep, one of whom he recognised. Vicky was the only one he had actually met, so he presumed the other two were Mal and Jimmy.

"We do have a gate." Bulk reminded them, pointing to the wall. Vicky just looked a little sheepish. This wasn't the first time she had ignored the wall and gone into their yard.

"We just...we wanted to see if Spike was alright." She said a little nervously. Bulk just sighed and looked through to the living room, where he could see Spike was trying to listen in.

"Spike!" He called out. He then looked back to them. "He's grounded, but just this once, you can see him."

He turned to Spike, looking him in the eyes.

"You have ten minutes, and you don't leave the house." He told him. Spike just nodded in understanding, before his uncle left them to it. Vicky, Jimmy and Mal all looked horrified to see the state he was in. He was clearly hurting, and he had a split lip and an impressive black eye forming.

"I guess asking if you got away is kind of redundant." Jimmy finally managed to say. "I guess spending the morning in a locker isn't so bad."

"It looks worse than it is." Spike lied, trying to act casually as he saw them. He didn't want his friends to worry about him, but he was still feeling very sore and was painfully aware of how much worse it could have been if Serena and his uncle hadn't interfered.

"The coach checked on Brad after you left. His hand's definitely broken." Mal informed him. "He looked so pissed..."

"Brad?" Spike asked.

"The coach!" Jimmy clarified. "Brad was too busy crying."

"We...um...just wanted to see you were OK." Vicky told him. "We kind of guessed you wouldn't be back on Monday..."

"What makes you think that?" Spike asked her. They all just looked a little dumbfounded.

"Have you looked in a mirror?" Mal asked a little uncomfortably. "Unless you missed this, they're all kind of pissed."

"Sometimes part of courage is having the guts to face the consequences of your actions." Spike told them, paraphrasing Serena somewhat. He did have his doubts before, but seeing his friends, standing before him, coming to check on him even knowing that he was now pretty much the most hated person in his year, he remembered what he had been fighting for in the first place. "I mean, look at William Wallace. History would have been very different if he had given up."

"He was hung drawn and quartered!" Vicky reminded him. "And seeing the way Rick and the others were looking at you, don't think that thought hasn't crossed their minds!"

"I'm not going to run." Spike put down flatly. "Sadly, I'm grounded, but I'll see you all Monday."

Vicky rushed forward, hugging him tightly. Spike winced a little, but smiled and hugged her back.

"We'll see you Monday." She replied, parting from him. He just nodded.

"Sure you will." He answered. As they left, and he closed the door, he saw his uncle standing a little way off, smiling.

"It feels good doesn't it?" Bulk asked him. Spike nodded.

"This isn't the first time I've had my ass kicked." Spike admitted. "But it is the first time it felt like it was worth it."

Back at the Shiba House, Ji was sitting in his study with Jayden, watching the footage taken from Scott's RPM rig. Jayden just waited for his reaction to what he had seen.

"Antonio is correct." Ji commented. "The Black Box does indeed house impressive power. It will be an invaluable weapon."

"I just can't get over seeing how I turned out there." Jayden admitted.

"I guess it was not the best impression to have of yourself." Ji conceded. "So how did you feel about it?"

"I was upset at first, but I guess the main thing it showed me was how important everyone is to me." Jayden told him.

"How so?" Ji asked him.

"Well, in his dimension the other Samurai were never called." Jayden reminded him. "He told me that Dekker killed you, that's why he went after Dekker."

"That's how he ended up with Urumasa." Ji commented. Jayden nodded.

"The thing is, without you, without the others, the other me...he didn't have anyone when Urumasa started to call him." Jayden continued. "He had no one to fight for, so in the end, he succumbed to it."

"Then I suppose something good has come out of your time in Corinth." He commented. "Of course, there is one more thing I must ask."

"I kind of guessed you would." Jayden replied, pausing the footage on the female Red Samurai Ranger. He looked to Ji. "Kevin reminded them that some things are different in that dimension. He suggested that there was more than one descendent of the Shiba Clan there, and I didn't correct him. The others seemed to accept that."

"So, they haven't pursued it any further?" Ji asked him. Jayden shook his head.

"I hope that remains to be the case." Jayden told him. "Scott knows."

"You told...?"

"He agreed not to tell anyone on my team." Jayden assured him uncomfortably. "He said I should though."

"Jayden..."

"Ji, even if it wasn't for that, I couldn't tell them." Jayden told him. "They trust me, even despite everything. They lay their lives on the line for me all the time."

He sighed and shook his head.

"I can't risk it Ji." He told him. "They trust me, if they find out about this...I just can't risk it Ji."

Just then, Antonio knocked on the door and poked his head in.

"Jay, the food's arrived." He told him. "If you don't get out here quick, Mike will have put paid to all the chicken pakora."

"Well as long as there's still some chicken chaat, that's alright." Jayden chuckled, putting his arm around him. "If not, then someone's in deep trouble."


	19. Back to Reality

Spike woke up the following morning, and sighed as he looked out the window, seeing that it was an unseasonably pleasant day. It was still the middle of winter, so it was a while before it would be back to the really warm weather, but the first pleasant day in the year, and he found himself stuck inside, grounded.

He had never been grounded by his uncle before. It was not a good feeling to know he had disappointed him. His uncle loved him, and he was always finding ways to make Spike's time with him fun, and helping him keep his mind off how much he missed his dad and his step-mom.

As he got up, and made his way to the mirror, he just muttered something under his breath, seeing the cuts and bruises on his body. It wasn't as painful anymore. He was still sore, but for the most part it was what it represented that bothered him. He had only been trying to help, to get the other kids to leave him and his friends alone, but in the end all he had ended up doing was making things worse. He had disappointed Serena and his uncle, he had angered all the bullies by putting the football team's season in jeopardy, and in the end, he was sure that once he got back to school, that would only spill over into the way they took their frustrations out on the other kids.

He took his shower and got dressed, heading downstairs to where his uncle was preparing their breakfast. He took his seat quietly as he cast a glance in Bulk's direction, trying to gauge his mood. It was new territory for Bulk too, he didn't have kids of his own, and so he had never really been in the position to have to take care of discipline. That had always been down to Skull and Kim to deal with. Normally all Bulk had to worry about was keeping Spike happy any time he was over. He laid a plate of toast down on the table, sitting down opposite him.

"I'm heading to the market in a little while." Bulk told him. "Is there anything you'd like me to pick up?"

Spike just shook his head. Taking some toast, he couldn't help feeling the atmosphere becoming a little awkward. It was pretty uncharted territory for both of them.

"Have you...?" He finally managed to stammer out. "Have you called my parents?"

Bulk just looked at Spike. That was pretty much the last thing he needed to hear. He knew that it was his responsibility to look after Spike, and part of that responsibility was to tell his parents what was happening in Spike's life. Unfortunately it also put him in a very difficult position.

It was his idea that Spike go back to school. When he found out that Spike wanted to go back, so that he could be around kids his own age, he wanted to help him. It had taken him a very long phone conversation to finally convince his parents that he believed Spike could handle it. He had stuck his neck out for the kid, assuring his parents that he would be alright, and now this had happened.

"Don't you think I should?" Bulk asked him. Spike just looked a little alarmed.

"But they'd make me quit for sure!" Spike called out. "Please, you can't..."

"So now you want me to lie to your mom and dad?" Bulk asked him. Spike was about to say something, but he stopped himself before he could. Bulk wasn't really his uncle, not by blood anyway, but he always had that role in his life because he was so close to his dad. He knew that it wouldn't be right to ask his uncle to risk a friendship that had lasted for most of their lives. He just shook his head.

"No." Spike muttered. Bulk just nodded.

"I'll call them later." He told him. "They'll probably want to talk to you, so you might want to think about what you want to say."

"I guess." Spike answered. "I'll just work out for a bit after breakfast, and then do some homework."

"Alright." Bulk replied. He put a hand on Spike's shoulder. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine Uncle Bulk." He answered quietly. As his uncle left to clear up, he just started on his breakfast. It was bad enough talking to Serena and his uncle, but talking to his parents was not a conversation he was looking forward to.

Back at the Shiba House, Mia was finishing putting breakfast together after morning training. Serena was coming into the room after her shower. The others were all getting washed up and changed. Serena took a seat by the counter and looked to Mia.

"You don't look like you had much sleep." Mia commented. "The way Emily was talking your ear off last night; I guess she caught you up on everything in Corinth."

"I feel like I could become a tour guide." Serena chuckled. "It sounds like you all had a pretty wild time."

"Did she tell you...?"

"That she and Mike are married there?" Serena asked her. "Only about fifty times. She was making a huge deal about how even across realities they were made for each other."

"I guess you can't blame her." Mia responded with a little sigh. "Not all of us are so lucky. Turns out there, I'm some kind of assassin."

"Yeah, Emily said something about that." Serena told her. "So how did that happen?"

"I really don't know." She said with a shrug. "She really wasn't that talkative. I guess in some ways, its better I don't know what happened."

"Well it looks like a few things happened for the better out there." Serena said as she put on the coffee machine. "I couldn't help noticing that Jayden and Antonio seem a lot happier."

"I think the trip really helped them out." Mia continued. "It was good to get away. Being somewhere else, even just for a little while, it really let all of us see things differently, try new things."

"New things?" Serena asked. "It sounds like there's a story there."

"I thought Emily would have told you." Mia responded, furrowing her brows a little. She looked around; making sure Mentor Ji wasn't in the room. "You won't say anything to Mentor will you?"

"What is it?" She asked, getting a little smile on her face.

"Kevin and I...took the next step." She told her. Serena heard this and continued to smile.

"You mean...?" Mia just nodded.

"I can't believe how lucky I am." The Pink Ranger told her.

As she continued to relay her story, Serena kind of drowned it out, smiling and nodding politely, but inside she was feeling something else entirely. It had only been a couple of days since she and Ji had talked about her relationship with Stephen, and he had asked her not to flaunt it in front of the others and respect the rules of the house. She and Mia had become great friends, with Mia being much closer in age to her than Emily, but she couldn't help an uncomfortable anger starting to build in her. She was reining things in for their sake, and yet Mia and Kevin had already violated the very rules she had told Stephen they had to respect.

"Serena, are you even listening?" She asked. Serena was about to try to find an answer, despite not really knowing what Mia had said. Fortunately, they were interrupted as Mike and Emily came in, bounding over to the table. Serena was suddenly overcome with a mental image. She reached across, grabbing Emily and pulling her over.

"Hey!" Emily shrieked.

"Come on sis, why don't you come with me when I head to Spike's place."

"But..."

"I could a hand with the lesson I had planned for today." Serena told her. Emily just looked to Mike.

"But, we were going to..."

"Emily, you just spent a whole week with him. I think you can both live without each other for a day." Serena told her. "Come on, please? I want to spend time with my baby sister."

"Fine, I'll just get some gear after breakfast." She sighed, looking to Mike apologetically. Mia noticed the odd exchange and was starting to wonder about it. Serena seemed to be acting oddly, and since it happened straight after their conversation, she was starting to worry that it was something she said.

In another room, Jayden, Ji and Antonio were sitting with a number of scrolls and books. Antonio had now become even more obsessed than ever with unlocking the secrets of the Black Box, ever since they had seen the power it would give them. Antonio jumped up as the thought of something.

Although he had been working hard on it before they left, but without success. Even with all the symbol powers uploaded, he was finding it difficult to calibrate it. He just couldn't quite get it to operate.

"Ji, didn't you say that your ancestor created the Black Box?" He asked him. Ji just nodded.

"Yes, indeed he did." Ji answered. "Diajiro was the one who made it. Hirohito came up with the concept, but he entrusted it to Daijiro to create it."

"Well, I think we've been overlooking one very important thing." Antonio told him. "What have we done?"

"We've uploaded all of our power disks onto it." Jayden answered. Antonio held up a hand.

"Try thinking about that for a moment." He told them.

"Me, Kevin, Mike, Mia and Emily uploaded our disks." Jayden responded. It was then that he just face-palmed. "When the box was created there were..."

"Six samurai." Mentor Ji concluded. Antonio nodded.

"We've only uploaded five symbol powers onto it." Antonio reminded them, pulling out his Samuraizer. "I think if we upload your power, then I use my expertise and power to calibrate it, we should be able to..."

"Say no more Antonio." Mentor Ji responded, pulling out his Power Disk. "Let's get to work."

Antonio placed the Black Box on the table, and pulled out his Samuraizer. He pointed it at the Power Disk and pressed a few buttons, connecting a beam to it as he began.

Fin.


End file.
